Crossover The Greater Game (Babylon 5/BattleTech)

16

EAS Lexington
Tortuga

It had been a long time since the planet had seen so much activity, and certainly such legitimate activity. Dozens of cargo ships were sitting in orbit, a loose ring above the world, waiting while they unloaded their cargo into a parking spot, where it could then be gradually transported to the surface. A small space station had been established to monitor and oversee the cargo operations temporarily, until a bigger and better facility was built.

There was no jumpgate, but the beacon links had been established, allowing for a steady stream of traffic from Earth, providing at least one of the ships had its own jump engine. This usually meant the convoys arrived with military escort, and today that escort was the Lexington.

It was a routine mission, the sort of task common to peacetime military operations and was actually something John Sheridan welcomed. It was a return to normal duties and a relaxing of the wartime rigors the fleet had still been operating under. Until recently, there had been an underlying current that the danger had not yet passed, that the Minbari could follow them or find a way to continue their attack and thus the fleet had been kept at readiness, focused on Earth. That alert had now finally been cancelled after several months of steadily reduced readiness.

Earth Force was going back to what it had been, financing exploration in addition to security. While combat ships remained the priority, the major shipyards at Luna were starting to build exploration ships, a mixture of the medium sized Oracle class scout ships and the massive long range true Explorer ships. The change in priorities was reflected with a gradual shift in attitudes among many officers.

"An Explorer ship?" Anna Keller gave him a frown across the slightly crackling commlink, definitely not sold on the idea.

"There's going to be more of them soon, and there's definitely a need for them." Sheridan outlined. "They're going to want commanders."

"Right, but you know what that means? Those ships can stay out there for years." She met his eyes across the viewscreen. "I'd never see you."

"But that's the best part!"

Her expression turned sharp. "John, you need to think carefully about your next words."

"No, no, I mean most Explorer ships have an IPX contingent. You could easily get a transfer, we can serve together. Both of us doing what we love with who we love."

Her hard expression broke at that. "You have this all planned out."

"It'll be a year or two at least, maybe longer if we wait for a real Explorer ship, but once we're in, we'll be good for the rest of our careers."

"It's a big commitment, but I'm open to it. Exploring this new universe is going to be amazing." Anna agreed. "We found an old military base, it was mostly empty, but we dug up a few rifles and sets of body armor. Imagine what else might be out there."

"Exactly!" Sheridan enthused. "When we get the family together, we'll finally get married, then I'll request a posting with the Explorer Division. Old Jack Maynard got in, so I think he'll put in a good word for me."

"You're old commander." Anna remembered. "Well, I'm happy to go along with it, suits my career goals too. Plus it would be nice to actually spend some real time together."

Whatever other plans they were going to discuss were cut short by the sudden klaxon call to alert status going off, the harsh noise instantly changing the atmosphere.

"I have to go, sounds like they need me."

"John? What is it?"

"Probably just a couple of freighters arguing about docking priority." Sheridan lied. "I'll go sort it out and we'll talk later. Give my best to your coffee fiend friend."

"Be careful! Love you!" She called across the gulf as Sheridan grabbed his blue jacket from the velcro wall strips.

"I will, love you too sweetheart."

The screen went black, Sheridan holding there for a long moment as he reflected on the words and what they meant. He did have something worth fighting for, worth surviving for, a reason to get the job done and come home. Whatever he had to do to make that happen, he was damn well going to do it.

"Bridge, Sheridan." He tapped the communication link on the back of his hand. "Status?"

"Captain, unscheduled jump ship arrival at the local pirate point. No markings, no IFF, no comms yet."

"Understood, put fighters on Alert Five and bring all systems to combat readiness."

He dragged on his uniform jacket, confident but wavering ever so slightly. This wasn't the Minbari war anymore, where hope was scant and survival rarely expected. There was a growing future, something to really look forward to, a reason not to throw oneself head first into danger. Balancing duty and his own personal wishes wasn't something he'd done in a while, he was going to have to learn again how to resolve himself.

---

EAS Lexington

"Any change?"

"No sir." Commander Carroll updated his Captain. "Two jumpships, big ones, each hauling six large dropships."

"Have they detached?"

"No sir, still docked."

Sheridan swung around into his chair and belted in, glancing at the summary of information and the tactical plot. He guessed the new arrivals were taking a good look around before deciding their next move, though the lack of communication was concerning.

"Signal to Bearn, Danube, and Colorado. Form on my position and screen the civilian vessels."

"Aye sir."

"Still no response from the new ships?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Then we better go over there and see what they want." Sheridan decided. "Put interceptors on automatic, launch fighters, and get a message to command detailing our situation."

The Earth Force ships took up a defensive posture, a pair of cruisers with a couple of Olympus corvettes as escort. There were more ships closer to the planet, a mix of corvettes and frigates defending the cargo station and low orbit, but Sheridan preferred to keep them close to the civilians in case there was something else at play.

"I don't like this one bit." Sheridan grimaced, his task force moving forward. "No change?"

"No sir."

The ships were too uniform to be pirates, but too plain to belong to one of the local powers. Intel had provided a decent briefing on local capabilities and unit colors, none of them matched these two transports.

"Captain, highly focused scans." Carroll warned. "I think they just went weapons hot."

"Return the favor."

"Unknown ships are launching fighters, targeting systems online!" Carroll called the warning. "Locking weapons on us and the civilian ships."

"Order the second taskforce to increase altitude and standby for contact." Sheridan brought the guard ships into play. "Increase speed to flank, standby all weapons."

"Enemy fighters forming up, sir. I have- sir, I have eighty contacts."

"Eighty?"

"Yes sir, multiple types, some of them are a lot bigger than the ones we've seen so far."

That was definitely not good, he had twelve fighters available to him, the smaller escort ships having no ability to carry Starfuries and the garrison nothing to offer. He did however have eight frigates and corvettes possessing a fully integrated interceptor grid. That might be enough.

"I need the frigate group in a screen covering the civilians, but advancing. Pull in our own escorts and set up a kill box. Fighter group is free to engage as it sees fit."

"Yes, Captain."

"Can we hit those jump ships?"

"Range is still long Captain."

"Alright, we'll push through and take them as quickly as we can. Set interceptors for barrier defense, standby to engage."

"Captain, missiles in the sky, hostiles are opening fire!"

That neatly solved any doubts about the rules of engagement.

"Weapons free, all units engage at will."

The unknown invaders began to fill the sky with weaponry as quickly as the attached dropships could manage it. The long carriers emptied their hangars, while the more bulky direct combat units began popping off as many long range heavyweight missiles as they could manage. The arsenal was split, some heading for the Lexington and her group, while the rest accelerated toward the civilian units and their six escorting light warships.

"Captain, Earth Force states it is deploying reinforcements. Two cruisers from convoy duty. Estimate two hours until arrival."

"This will be over in fifteen minutes." Sheridan set aside any ideas about delaying the battle. Eighty fighters was definitely not a good set of odds. Whoever this was knew that just because they didn't have their own capital ships, that didn't mean they were powerless. "Get some anti-ship missiles in the tubes."

"Ready, sir."

"Take a long range shot at those jump ships, see what they do."

The Lexington opened her bow tubes and launched a pair of nuclear tipped weapons, their targeting looping them around the mass of incoming fighters and angling them around to catch the enemy ships.

"Six minutes until our missiles arrive. Enemy fighters in range in one minute."

"Concentrate on the larger fighters, odds are they are bombers and I don't want to see what they are hauling."

"Starfuries breaking to attack, corvettes are firing anti-fighter missiles."

The two corvettes in formation with the Lexington and Bearn started launching salvoes of smaller defensive missiles from their flank missile bays. Smaller and more nimble than the heavy weapons of the Lexington, the missiles weaved and curved through the formation, selecting their individual targets to engage head on while the Starfuries dropped in from above.

It was a good tactic but these incoming pilots were not pirates. The first wave consisting of light fighters split by squadron and met their enemies head on, some going for the missiles and others for the inbound Furies. Bright laser and particle discharges signaled the fight beginning in earnest, fighters closing and frantically dodging to achieve a superior position.

The defensive missiles drew first blood, each one breaking open into a dozen smaller guided munitions that saturated the first line of inbound squadrons. Many missed, decoyed by countermeasures, clouds of chaff, rapid evasion, or in some cases well aimed interception fire, but others were pelted by the explosive warheads and shredded.

Beside them, the Starfuries engaged, rapid blue pulses striking their targets, each hit ripping away chunks of the hull and structure of the light fighters. In return, the inbound squadrons unloaded with everything they had, the Furies jinking wildly to avoid most of the fire, but not all of it. Two Earth Force fighters went dark, losses Sheridan could ill afford with the main body of the inbound fighter group still incoming.

"Enemy missiles in range."

"Clear them."

The guns of the taskforce began to speak, precisely aimed pulses of energy reaching out to catch the inbound missiles. They were easy enough targets, they didn't perform any evasive turns or have much in the way of jamming, but every shot made against a missile was a shot not taken against the fighters.

"Enemy strike squadrons are splitting, looks like they're going to hit us from multiple directions at once." His First Officer remained glued to the sensors.

"Civilian ships?"

"Getting some distance, looks like the enemy are focused on us."

"Bring the other escorts up here, best speed, we'll concentrate fire on the strike craft." Sheridan decided. "Starfuries?"

"Not good, they're heavily engaged with the hostile fighter screen and taking losses, they won't be able to disengage."

"And we can't support them yet." Sheridan grimaced. The enemy airwing was working as intended, their initial light fighter screen had swept aside Sheridan's fighters and were tying them up leaving the warships open for the bombers. "We could really use a carrier of our own right about now."

The heavyweight attackers angled their fighters inward, each unit forming up either on the Lexington or Bearn, giving their full attention to the largest of the EA ships. Logically, it made sense, but it at least showed these attackers didn't really know the strength of their enemy. As potent as the heavy cruisers looked in this scenario, the Corvettes were infinitely more dangerous.

"Angle the ship for maximum coverage, keep us in the box." Sheridan made the last few final adjustments. "Set weapons for long range dispersion fire, swap to barrier fire as the range closes."

"Set."

"Fire when the sights match."

The big pulse cannons elevated, not the most suitable of weapons for anti-fighter work, but their high rate of fire and excellent accuracy made them surprisingly effective. As soon as the targeting data aligned, the big guns opened up, the two cruisers spraying particle bolts into the sky. At this range hits were unlikely, the goal was to disperse the enemy formations, break up their groupings, and string them out. It was better to defend against several small units arriving one after another, rather than one single mass hitting together.

One or two heavy fighters exploded, their strength not offering much defence against the ship killing heavy guns. They broke formation and evaded the attacks, but quickly reformed and continued their approach, the pilots apparently well trained and disciplined enough to press the attack, even into heavy gunfire.

"Light fighters have broken through our screen, they're angling toward us."

"Stay on the bombers." Sheridan quickly balanced the threat levels. "We can't switch targets now."

It was a simple calculation, the light fighters would almost certainly try to knock out the Lexington's guns and targeting sensors to let their big brothers finish the strike. That was not something Sheridan could easily ignore. If he switched to engage them though, he'd lose valuable seconds as the turrets rotated and the sensors had to gather and calculate fresh target data. By the time that happened, they'd be on him anyway. He would have to put his faith in the sturdiness of his ship and the abilities of his escorts, a risky decision and most of the crew knew it, but it had to be done. Definitely not the first gamble this ship had made.

The guns kept firing outward, the smaller cannons on the corvettes now coming into play. These were much smaller twin light pulse cannons, less dangerous to warships but absolutely lethal to fighters. Their accuracy and high rate of fire filled nearby space with blue light, instantly slicing half a squadron of light fighters out of the sky. The survivors pressed on undaunted, sharply dodging through the hail of fire to pepper the Lexington with missiles and energy weapons.

"Impacts, starboard side." Carroll noted. "Negative hull breaches."

"They'll try again. What about their main strike group?"

"Accelerating hard, they're putting everything into this one strike."

"Then they're probably armed with something nasty. Warn the escorts to prepare for a full saturation attack."

The warships braced, many of the heavy fighters had been brought down, but plenty remained. Some struggled on with missing wings and burning engines, their pilots absolutely devoted to the mission keeping their craft on target.

"They're inside final barrier range." Carroll called. "Increasing our rate of fire to maximum."

The Lexington and her escorts intensified their fire, dumping emergency power into the weapons, overheating the system rapidly in exchange for unleashing a short range storm of pulse cannon shots. There was virtually nothing known that could survive that kind of killbox, but here something did. Anything hit by a heavy pulse shot stopped existing, but the heavy fighters proved resilient to the smaller shots from the corvettes. Enough made it into point blank range to deploy their missiles and then burn hard away from the maelstrom, the attack perfectly timed to bring in missiles from three directions simultaneously.

"Evasive action, launch countermeasures!" Sheridan shouted, his officers already making it happen. "Collision alert, brace for contact!"

All four Earth Force ships broke formation and tried to scatter, easier said than done with such massive vessels. The guns switched from engaging the strike craft to firing on their ordnance instead, dozens of hefty Arrow series missiles vectoring in on each ship. Chaff and decoys popped in glittering clouds, guns still spat blue fire. One of the corvettes had reloaded its missile racks fast enough to get a few interceptors out. It was a final few seconds of absolutely desperate chaos that succeeded in thinning down the strike, but not in stopping it.

The Lexington buckled as a quartet of nuclear warheads detonated on her flanks, brief flashes of light coupled with a shower of molten metal and boiling gases. The other ships also took damage as the nukes flashed like cameras at a concert, the Corvette Danube losing a massive section of her forward hull to a trio of well placed hits.

"Confirmed nuclear strikes, heavy damage to port side armour, hull breaches are contained, damage control teams responding!" Carroll did his job despite the ratcheting stress, the whole bridge broadcasting warnings.

"Bring us back on a steady course!" Sheridan demanded. "Where are the enemy fighters?"

"Changing course and getting ready for another run, it's taking them time to decelerate."

"Stay on them, they've still got guns!"

"Aye sir!"

"Escorts?"

"Danube is down, Colorado and Bearn are still operational and engaging." Carroll checked. "Frigate group is moving into range."

"Have them vector to support us against the enemy fighters, and keep us moving toward those enemy jumpships! As soon as we are in range, kill them dead!"

The Lexington moved on, pillars of smoke from internal fires jetting out into space as damage control teams tried to shut off the flow of air and liquids fueling the conflagrations. She was damage, hull cratered and peeling, but still functional, the hits were not so powerful as Sheridan had feared. Even so, if they hadn't thinned out the strike first, it could have been very nasty.

The Bearn and Colorado held station, their guns still spitting at the attackers, tracking the light and heavy craft as they approached. By now the formations were jumbled, the enemy fighters keeping in close and making repeated gun runs on the warships. Their weapons were leaving a mark, but the thick hulls of the heavy cruisers shrugged off the laser and particle beams. It would take several hits on the same location to wear the armor down, and anyone lining up on the same spot became an easy predictable target.

"Frigate group is coming into range." Carroll noted. "They're engaging in support."

The fresh ships finally arrived from the planet, the Artemis frigates unleashing a vicious coordinated strike from their pulse cannons into the swirling mass of enemy fighters. The attack was far more intense than that from the similarly sized corvettes, the Artemis class possessing more modern weapons and fire control.

It proved to be decisive, the surviving attackers broke off and made for the two jumpships still sitting and watching at the pirate point.

"Stay on them, I want more long range fire on those enemy vessels!" Sheridan ordered.

"Loading another salvo of anti ship missiles."

The enemy commander was now faced with a simple choice. Recovering his surviving fighters would take time, time enough that the damaged but still fully armed Earth Force ships could close in and engage. While his ships had some weapons, they had no hope in such a fight, therefore the decision was obvious. He dumped his lithium battery charge into his jump drives and vanished.

"Enemy ships just jumped away, that was a hell of a fast recharge!" Carroll grimaced in disappointment.

"Alert our sensor stations and outposts." Sheridan commanded. "Maybe we can spot them on their way back."

"There are still enemy fighters present, permission to engage."

"Open a channel first." Sheridan held them back, if they could take a few pilots alive it could be an intelligence goldmine. "Unknown fighters, your situation is hopeless, surrender and we promise fair treatment under the rules of..."

As he spoke the fighters each exploded, the pilots choosing to self destruct rather than be captured.

"I suppose that solves that problem." Carroll exhaled. "Fanatics."

"Fanatics with high quality equipment, advanced training, and nuclear weapons." Sheridan pointed out bluntly. "They underestimated us, I doubt they'll make the same mistake twice."

"You expect them to try again, sir?"

"Unless their objective was to show up and die, I'd think so." Sheridan reasoned. "Get a download of our sensor logs to command, they're going to have to begin reinforcing these colonies much more heavily than they do now."

---

Tharkad
Capital World of the Lyran Commonwealth

The scenery was absolutely beautiful, frigid mountains surrounding snow blanketed valleys and hardy evergreen forests. It was cold but clear, the sky pale blue with a few wisps of white clouds hanging lightly above. It would have been perfect skiing weather if anyone had thought to bring some.

The arrival was low key, the diplomatic transport settling into a distant orbit while the delegation headed down by shuttle. There was no grand ceremony this time as the craft touched down, scattering powdery snow from the cold concrete landing pad, just a small cluster of dark uniformed people and a line of cars.

"Good day, Ambassador Sheridan." An extremely sharply dressed officer snapped his heels together and bowed sharply. "I am Captain Gerhart Von Brulow, I will be your guide and liaison during your time here with us."

"Glad to meet you, Captain, pretty brisk weather here!"

"Ah, this is a good day for this time of year." Brulow peered upward. "You can see to Skye and Tamar from here, it allows the Archon to truthfully say she can watch her whole domain from her balcony."

He snapped an arm out to point at the cars.

"Shall we begin, Mister Sheridan? I have quarters prepared for you and your staff."

"Why not, lead on please, Captain."

The journey was swift and smooth, the vehicles taking the trip from the spaceport to the Triad, the trio of buildings representing the leadership of the Lyran Commonwealth. They had all been assigned pleasant quarters, plain but well appointed with staff on call.

"You are scheduled to be presented at court tomorrow, Mister Sheridan." Brulow spoke pleasantly. "Afterwards, I believe, negotiations can begin in earnest. Both the Council and the Assembly are very keen to see what trade you may offer."

"I had heard the Lyrans were an industrious people."

"There is a strong embrace of business yes, many of our most influential persons are senior industrialists, or those who knew an opportunity when they saw it."

That certainly reminded David of a lot of Senate meetings. While EarthGov had been keen to make contact with each major power and discover where they stood, the Lyrans had been given particular attention by the Senate, which actually meant their powerful corporate lobbyists. Somebody had scented money.

"If there is anything you need, please contact us using the handset." Brulow pointed. "A small dinner will be prepared for your staff at seven. Are there any preferences?"

"We all look forward to trying the local cuisine."

"Excellent, I shall ask the chefs then to indulge themselves." Brulow bowed. "Until dinner then, Mister Sheridan."

He departed with the same sharpness as he did everything, David unsure if it was military training or just the man's natural manner. The Davions had mentioned in their shared information that the Lyrans were on the more formal and stiff end of courtly matters and tended to take appearances seriously, though there was apparently a very wide variety among actual aristocrats and their backgrounds, which would make negotiations interesting.

He had settled in a bit, unpacked his suitcases and was flicking through the entertainment channels looking for a rolling news show when a knock sounded at the old fashioned carved wooden door. It was still a while until his dinner appointment and nothing else was scheduled. That put him a little on edge, but this was also the heart of the Lyran government. If anywhere was secure, surely it would be here?

He walked to the door, stood beside it rather than behind it, and opened it a little.

"Mister Sheridan? Apologies." It was Brulow. "Do you have some time for an informal chat?"

He severely doubted the Captain even understood what informal meant.

"Of course."

Brulow did not however move forward, instead he nodded to someone off to the side that David couldn't see. He opened the door fully to witness a well dressed couple standing just beyond waiting for his invitation.

"Might I present Archon Katrina Steiner and Duke Arthur Luvon." Brulow once again inclined his head with the speed and precision of a guillotine.

"Right." David raised his eyebrows. "Well."

"Tomorrow will be a formal event, Mister Sheridan." Katrina said by way of explanation. "I would prefer we spoke in private first, to better understand one another."

"I can understand that." David stepped aside. "Make yourself at home."

Both entered while Brulow disappeared to attend to his duties, closing the door behind them.

"Your staff left a well stocked drinks cabinet." David suggested. "I know I could use one."

"I know this is a little irregular." Katrina settled on one of the very comfortable chairs, her husband grabbing some glasses from the drinks cabinet. "But I want to know more about the people I am going to potentially work with, ask honest questions, and hopefully receive honest answers."

"Schnapps?" Arthur began filling glasses and made sure everyone was provided for.

"Thanks." David tried the drink, he was no expert, but it was likely as pricey as everything else in this room. "Well, Archon, I'm definitely open to some frank discussion."

"Call me Katrina today, we can be formal tomorrow."

"Then David is good for me." He relaxed a little. "Do you meet all the ambassadors like this?"

"No, only the ones I think I can have a productive chat with. This would be useless with a Marik, but perhaps one of the Davions would work." She shrugged. "For now though, David, let's focus on you."

"Ask away."

"What is your true goal here?" Katrina cut straight to the point.

"To open diplomatic relations, get some trade going, and sign a non-aggression treaty." He returned just as cleanly. "Our goal is not to take sides in any ongoing conflicts. We want to figure out who everyone is, solidify our position on the periphery, and hopefully gain some money and resources."

"Why visit every single power? Why not just the ones who can meet your requirements?"

"We don't want to be accused of playing favorites. If we go all in with, say, your government, we might make enemies of your enemies. That doesn't suit us."

"Reasonable enough." Katrina nodded. "But it is unusual for a Periphery state to be so proactive. Normally nations mind their business, guard their own worlds, and little else. Few seek to engage in affairs of state with distant powers."

"I suppose we're a talkative bunch." David admitted. "We've learned that being very clear with your intentions can prevent disaster. It is very important to us to ensure there are no misunderstandings."

"Again, understandable." Katrina nodded. "Provided, of course, you aren't causing yourself more problems. Some might say your best act would be to simply remain unnoticed."

"Perhaps, but the risks of making enemies are balanced by the benefits of finding allies."

"Then let me tell you my position." Katrina shifted gears. "You have warships and are offering Agricultural technology. We won't refuse the trade, but we would very much like to go further. I don't know exactly what your industrial base looks like, but there are clues. The ship you arrived in is very unusual, it suggests that you had, or still do have, some sort of large scale ship production. This interests me."

"Interests you how?"

"If you have the ability to build jump capable ships, this is of particular value to us." Katrina laid out. "As a fairly small periphery power you likely don't need many jump ships, but we do, therefore if you can build them, I will make sure there are contracts for every ship you can produce."

"That could run to a lot of money."

"I expect it will, I also expect expanding our jump ship capacity will be worth every penny."

"I can certainly raise the question as part of any second wave of trade talks we may wish to engage in."

"I promise, there will be more talks." Katrina smiled a little. "I sense a definite opportunity. You are far too confident for a minor periphery power. It's not just the warships, you have the attitude of a great house, someone used to standing among equals. It is very curious, Mister Sheridan, and I don't think it is accident or bravado."

"Is that why we're having a secret meeting?" Sheridan nudged.

"Private, not secret." Katrina winked back. "And yes, we likely won't speak much tomorrow. You will be besieged by all of our nobility wanting to sell you everything you could dream of in return for access to all the things they imagine you have. The current rumour is a full set of Star League era manufacturing tools. Any truth to it?"

"Sadly no, but we might be able to find something similar if my leaders agree."

David put his glass down.

"There is something extra, not on the list."

"You have my attention."

"Point to point secure interstellar communication. Something not tied to the HPG network."

Katrina shared a glance with her husband, both keeping a blank expression.

"Please go on, Mr. Sheridan."

It's called a tachyon relay, you'll need some satellites every dozen lightyears or so to boost the signal, but it is basically real time face to face communication across stellar distance. No outside parties, secure, and yours if you want it."

"As simple as that?"

"Yes. It's not free, of course, we expect payment, but yes, as simple as that."

"Why?"

"In part, so we can speak to you from our territory, but also so you can speak clearly to those important to you. Including your neighbors."

"You have offered them this technology?"

"We have. I am sure you can see the value of it from a military and diplomatic point of view. Speaking face to face with the other house lords at any given moment could help make the galaxy a more stable place for us all."

"That does certainly have value." Katrina allowed. "But I am sure Comstar would be most upset by this offer."

"They never need to know."

"If you offered this to Draconis, they know." She said simply. "They know and I do not think they will take kindly to their monopoly being challenged."

"They are welcome to file a complaint, but this won't affect their civilian traffic. Their revenue won't change much."

"For Comstar, it's not the money, it's the control." Katrina related carefully. "Don't underestimate them, I have heard many stories, all unverifiable of course, but none of them good."

She leaned back in her seat, her husband topping up her drink to her appreciation.

"I haven't been in this role long and have already survived several assassination attempts. Most I think from my own relatives. It has made me cautious, forced me to carefully weigh up an individual before inviting them into the affairs of state."

"I hope I made a good impression."

"You are earnest, Mr. Sheridan, and you are no fool. You bring gifts and the promise of more in time, you open lines of communication between the great houses and yourselves. I find this very interesting, like you are setting yourselves up as a power broker?"

"That isn't our intention, but we have learned the value of communication. Much of what we have heard is that the Inner Sphere is a violent place where war is always an attractive option. If we can play a small part in reducing that attraction, then it is worthwhile."

"Can't trade with a nuked out planet." Arthur wisely observed. "And I suspect you may have a lot to trade. In contrast, we have much to offer, fine weapons, dropships, luxury goods you won't find equal to."

"All very tempting, but also beyond the scope of this initial contact."

"Then I think we can come to terms, Mister Sheridan." Katrina decided. "It is a good first step, we have no hostile intentions or any interest in the worlds of the far periphery. Indeed, Mister Sheridan, if I may be completely honest, your words about communication ring true. It has long been a hope of mine that we can try to improve relations and perhaps finally find some peace between our great houses. The current state of affairs has gone on for far too long. We must change before we are finally consumed."

"I am glad we have that common ground, Archon."

"I shall see you at court tomorrow then Mister Sheridan, for the first time of course." Katrina finally broke a true smile, unguarded and genuine. "We must play our game, and when it is done and the Dukes and Barons have had their fill of you, let us drink Schnapps again and speak of the future."

17

Geneva, Earth
Capital of the Earth Alliance.

"The situation on Tortuga is stable, casualties were light, and there have been no follow up attacks," General Denisov summarised for the benefit of the President. "Our personnel did their job, but the scale of the attack was unexpected. Our intel suggested gathering so many strike craft and deploying them such a distance would be difficult and noticeable, giving us some time to prepare."

"The attack also evaded our early warning system," General Lefcourt mentioned, clearly quite concerned by that. "We have sensor probes covering the approach from the Inner Sphere, a few in each charted system. In theory, we should detect any ships jumping in and recharging and be able to formulate a response, but this force must have come in from a different direction."

"We were unable to track their retreat either. We know they haven't taken a direct route back toward the Inner Sphere, because our sensor probes have nothing. They are still out here somewhere, and we are deploying assets to try and pin them down."

"What type of assets, General?" Levy asked.

"Two Oracle scout ships that were laying beacons and have prototype hybrid drives have been diverted, and we have two jumpships from our pirate haul, though their response times are much slower." The Senior Officer spoke. "We're laying more sensor probes to try and string a net out and catch these vessels the next time they jump."

President Levy accepted the news for what it was. A raid was always going to be a possibility, be it pirates trying their luck or one of the local powers deciding to test and see if Earth Force was as capable as it appeared to be. With luck, that question should be decisively answered.

"What about our losses?"

"Twenty two dead or missing, a similar number injured," Denisov replied. "The Corvette Danube is crippled and needs a lot of work, our heavy cruisers Lexington and Bearn will need some repairs, but nothing fatal."

"We also lost a full squadron of fighters," Lefcourt added to the report. "Fortunately, many of our pilots were able to eject. It could have been worse."

"Our opponents brought plenty of nukes, Madam President," Denisov growled. "The fighter launched ones were fairly weak, but would still have caused massive damage to our growing presence on the planet. The ship launched weapons were much larger and were a significant threat."

"This was at least an effective test of our interceptor systems against a large saturation attack." Lefcourt offered a positive note. "But it would seem that we are going to have to be ready to handle further raids."

"To that end, Madam President, I want to take some ships out from our homeworld defence fleets and reassign them for colonial defence," Denisov requested. "A full squadron of six cruisers and twenty four escort ships per planet, with rapid reaction units on standby. We should also deploy our Dionysus space stations as quickly as possible to provide a strong fighter wing and heavily armed backstop to our defence fleets, and I want to divert the next batch of defence satellites."

"That's a lot of forces, General." Levy considered. "Can we afford to divert those resources?"

"We've been heavily focused on Earth and Mars, our great fear being that the Minbari will find a way to follow us. But it has been more than a year and a half, and there has been no sign of pursuit. I believe, Madam President, the time is right to shift back to a more peacetime posture and to look to a real expansion of our new colonies here."

"The Colonial Office has been focused on restoring existing infrastructure, improving living conditions, that sort of thing." Lefcourt checked his notes. "But these are habitable worlds and there is increasing demand to begin full expansion beyond our Cooperland operations."

"Tortuga and New Haiti are likely to become our front door, especially regarding trade once we are secure enough to open up fully to our neighbours," Denisov continued. "I would strongly recommend we invest now in their future, especially as it seems we will be staying here for the foreseeable future."

"Then I'll leave military necessity to your staff, General." Levy accepted. "Mr Chapel, anything on the attackers?"

"I can tell you they aren't pirates." The head of the EIA responded. "They also probably aren't from Draconis, our estimate is he'll wait until he has benefitted from our trade terms before he starts testing our defences."

"What about Davion?"

"Always a possibility, but we expect an attack by the Suns to be better coordinated."

"Our analysis shows the enemy pilots were disciplined and had a high level of training, but little real experience," Lefcourt weighed in. "Their formations and ability to carry through their attacks were impressive, but their actual tactics and target selection showed they'd never fought a real enemy."

"A veteran unit would have attacked in waves, they would have identified the light ships as the primary target and tried to disable them first, leaving the cruisers vulnerable," Denisov clarified for the President. "Instead they attacked all targets simultaneously, that shows they have good coordination and discipline, but it was the wrong tactic. Looks good on paper, but a little experience would tell them different."

"That would logically rule out most of the big powers. Our current guess is a mercenary unit or one of the other Periphery States testing us." Chapel stated. "As to who hired them, if they were mercenaries? Could be anyone, but our suspicion is leaning toward Comstar."

"The communications agency?"

"If they think we're infringing on their territory and powerbase, it is feasible. So far though, no hard evidence. My people would like to begin investigating more closely."

"Do we have any positive news?" The President asked.

"As a matter of fact yes." Chapel nodded. "The initial batch of raw materials arrived from the Davions. One of the minerals we asked for in small amounts was Diridium."

"I don't think I know anything about it?"

"By itself, it's fairly useless, but it also happens to be a byproduct created in the same process that creates Quantium ores." Chapel led the President to the obvious conclusion. "Our negotiators didn't want to ask about Quantium directly, no need to tip our hand so soon, but if they have Diridium, they almost certainly have Quantium deposits."

"This could be a massive step, Madam President." Denisov made sure it was clear. "None of the local powers have any idea what Quantium really is. We can expect any deposits to be completely untapped. This could potentially fuel our fleet expansion and hopefully let us put gates over every colony."

"The Explorer Division wants us to refit some survey ships with hybrid drives so they can get out there and take a look. If it goes well, they want to negotiate expanded mining rights with the Davions." Lefcourt listed. "From what we've heard, the Suns are pretty happy with the trades so far and have indicated a desire to expand."

"The drives are still new and most are slated for installation on our new Destroyers, but I would agree there is value in diverting some for this task," Denisov allowed grudgingly. "We're also going to want some long range ore barges and freighters to actually move the stuff. At this point, it seems inevitable we will have to open up drive production to civilian markets."

"The Senate has been pushing for this since we confirmed the possibility of trading partners instead of enemies." Levy scoffed. "Even with this raid, I can't see how we can keep ourselves totally locked away, especially if we are stuck here."

"Our industry is crying out to return to peace time standards, to investigate and exploit these new opportunities. We can set up some restrictions, but as we start mixing populations on Tortuga and beyond, people are going to talk." Chapel shrugged. "We might as well get ahead of it now, get some trade goods settled and start making an impact. As powerful as our military is, perhaps our best weapon is going to be what we can make and sell."

---

Cooperland Colony
Earth Alliance

"I'm fine, seriously, there's no need to be so worried."

Sheridan smiled and shrugged his shoulders, the gesture having zero effect on Anna as she remained seated beside him in the hospital. He was here for a few check ups, as was usual after an exchange of nuclear weaponry, to ensure he hadn't absorbed too much radiation.

"Someone fired nuclear missiles at you," she said firmly, absolutely unwavering in her commitment to how serious this was. "Nuclear missiles, John."

"I know, I happen to be an expert on those myself," he gently reminded. "I feel fine!"

"Angela, tell him."

Anna had anticipated this level of stubborness, and as such, had brought reinforcements to back her up.

"You could be dead tomorrow." The scientist chugged a massive cup of coffee. "Probably not, but hey, better safe than sorry, right?"

"She's a physicist, she knows this stuff." Anna wasn't yielding, though Sheridan was less convinced.

"Do they sell coffee in cups that big?" He latched on.

"What, no, this is my own cup." Ginelli grinned massively wide. "I buy five normal drinks and pretend they are for friends, because if I say they are all for me, then I get comm calls to my mom. After that, just mix them all in when they can't see me."

"Smartest person on the planet." Sheridan approved. "Will you tell my fiance that those nukes were too small and the Lexington too insulated to matter."

"He has a point," Ginelli admitted.

"I don't like people shooting nukes at my husband to be."

"Good!" Sheridan laughed. "I don't like it either, but honestly I'm fine. It's just routine."

Anna continued pouting, but began to release her grip on the situation a little. The waiting room was otherwise empty. None of the crew had been admitted to hospital or wheeled away by concerned doctors and hooked up to a battery of beeping machines.

"The Minbari are gone, these new powers aren't supposed to even have warships. This should be a perfect place for us, and yet here we go again with people trying to kill us." Anna exhaled. "For what? What this time?"

"I don't know, I guess to a lot of people we are a threat to their power," Sheridan guessed. "That's reason to take a shot."

"When we figure it out, we should go show them who they are dealing with." Anna spoke darkly, suddenly cold in her expression. "Show them we can do a lot more to them than they can do to us."

"Working on it." Ginelli slurped more coffee. "You should see what we are doing to those mechs we captured. He he he. Boom."

"This galaxy is full of savages, people who drop nukes at the first chance they get." Anna exhaled heavily. "My team has spent months digging through the old capital, there was no warning before it got hit, no chance to evacuate or surrender. Someone just showed up, nuked the entire region, then left."

"Any idea who?"

"Could have been anyone, it was over a century ago." Anna shook her head. "They didn't leave anything beside bones and radiation."

That gave Sheridan perhaps a little more insight into her sudden protectiveness. She probably knew more than anyone else here about the history of this region of space, the violence and mass destruction. Working among the bones of those killed in a surprise nuclear strike and then hearing about an attempt to do the same thing a mere week ago was probably very unsettling.

"We can handle it." He grasped her hand reassuringly. "We have the fleet, and we do have real allies, I think. People we can work with."

"How sure are you about that?" Anna fixed him with surprising intensity. "How sure are you that these governments can be trusted?"

"As many as anywhere else. I mean, did you ever really think we trusted the Centauri or Narn? But we worked with them."

"After we showed them not to take us for weak fools."

"Taking this a little personally?" Ginelli chipped in.

"They fired nukes at my husband." Anna snipped back. "Eventual husband. It is personal."

"And we gave them a bloody nose. They can't send another attack like that and they don't have real warships." Sheridan reminded. "We have it managed."

"I don't really care about the Centauri, because they are Centauri, but these are humans. Human tyrants ruling over the masses. Maybe we should do something about that?"

"I don't think we can."

"No, we can." Anna returned simply. "We just need leaders who'll handle it."

A knock at the door interrupted them, a bearded man in Earth Force blues appearing at the door to the waiting room.

"Sorry, I can come back if you're busy?"

"No, it's fine." Anna took a cleansing breath. "Can I help you?"

"I'm here for your husband actually. Stay seated Captain, this won't be long."

"Not quite my husband yet, he does find a way to keep dodging the date." She gave him a sly look. "But he won't escape for much longer."

"Sounds like your fate is sealed." The man chuckled. "I'm General William Hague, by the way. I command the new Expeditionary Force."

"Honoured to meet you General, your raid on the Minbari supply lines was a work of art." Sheridan stiffened, he was off duty but still felt compelled to stand to attention. "Probably bought us six months."

"At the cost of two dozen ships and crews, a heavy price to pay," Hague reflected, solemn for a moment. "But this is about the future, Captain. How are you feeling?"

"Poked, prodded, and then besieged."

"I know a lot of men who'd kill to be in your position," Hague remarked, noting the tight grip Anna had on Sheridan's hand. "Nice to have people looking out for you."

"I'm moral support." Ginelli raised a hand. "Also, do you know if the Joint Chiefs will let me back on Venus to finish my work on..."

"I don't think so, Dr Ginelli," Hague apologised. "But I hear you've done well with the mechs?"

"He he he. Boom." She chuckled to herself. "I suppose Venus can wait."

"So what can I help you with, General?" Sheridan broached the question. "Do you need a personal debrief on the engagement?"

"No, no, your report was perfectly good. In fact, I'm here because command said you were currently free and available for a new assignment."

"The Lexington will need some repairs, so I suppose I have some time, sir."

"The Lexington is being assigned to permanent patrol duty, which is where she should be." Hague spoke simply. "She's a first generation cruiser, Captain. She's worn out and only in service because we need every hull. Commander Carroll will be promoted to command her."

"With all due respect, sir, she's my command."

"And as a Captain you understand that sometimes you need to make changes, to put your personnel where they can do the most good. Pair the right man with the right appointment. Correct?"

"Well sir, sometimes."

"Good. Like I said I command the new Expeditionary Force, five brand new Omega class Destroyers, the first batch of production models. I'm short one Captain, I would very much like that posting to be you."

"You're offering me an Omega?" Sheridan had to pause a minute. "It's a hell of a step up, but I don't like leaving my crew in the lurch."

"If you refuse, I'll have to cancel Commander Carroll's promotion."

"Now that's below the belt," Sheridan tutted.

"I need the best, Captain. Frankly there aren't many Captains out there as resourceful and determined as you are."

He looked over to Anna, his wife to be keeping hold of his hand.

"It's not an Explorer ship, that was my real goal."

"We can look at that once we're sure our home is safe." Anna supported. "The General is right, we should put our best people in our best ships."

"Give me a couple of tours, Captain, and I'll guarantee you a posting of your choice." Hague promised. "Explorer ship included."

He looked again at Anna, she was obviously conflicted but ultimately gave the nod.

"Alright General, I'm in."

"Excellent, Captain, excellent." Hague relaxed, his whole manner opening up. "Take your time here, have a few days, and Monday morning come see me at the spaceport. Zero Nine Hundred, Gate One. Your new command will be here by then."

"An Omega class destroyer." Sheridan mulled it over. "I'll be ready, General."

"Very good Captain, the Agamemnon will be waiting."

---

Later that day
Fort Dayan

Garibaldi had spent the last hour watching the exercises, the distant vehicles running back and forth over the meadows and low hills of the training range, slowly trying to figure out how to get the most from their units. He sat on the grass, enjoying a mixture of snacks and some light reading in the mild sunlit climate, just being comfortable. He had no worries right now, no duties, he could just watch the world go by.

Part of that world was a squadron of shiny new Siegfried tanks, the Army's initial response to the threat of battlemech warfare, hastily thrown together from a mismatch of sources. It was a hefty vehicle with the body of a high gravity excavator, paired with a twin naval artillery gun turret, and encased in as much heavy armour as possible. The sturdy chassis at least allowed it to carry that amount of weight, and a beefy set of engines gave it a surprisingly decent turn of speed, but it was still very much a stopgap.

One of the things Garibaldi noted as he watched them go through their paces was the recoil on the 175mm cannons. The huge naval guns apparently had no issues when mounted on twenty thousand ton warships, but on a ninety five ton tracked hull, the effect was pretty obvious. The vehicles bucked and rocked quite noticeably when firing full powered shots, their auto targeting having to work double time to try and keep the guns pointing at the target as the suspension of the tank dipped and bounced. Firing ahead knocked a few miles per hour off the speed, and swinging the turret out to the side and firing both guns at once almost lifted the nearside of the vehicle off the ground.

Still, this is why Garibaldi's unit existed, to help develop these new weapons and figure out how to use them. While the tanks sorted out their fire controls, a couple of mechs waited patiently to put the new vehicles through their paces and give them something real to shoot at.

"Hey, Mister Garibaldi!"

He looked away from the testing range to see a frantically waving and maniacally grinning friend heading his way.

"What's up, Doc?" Garibaldi had been waiting most of his life to be able to say that.

"All good, getting back to work."

"You in a rush?" He patted the grass beside him. "Come on, I got snacks."

"Coffee too?"

He held up a sealed flask. "Still hot."

"I think I have a few minutes." She dropped down and appreciated the view before cracking the flask and drinking directly from it.

"Doesn't that burn?"

"You get used to it." She took one of the offered sandwiches. "Oh, Siegfried. Don't fire uphill on a slope of more than twenty degrees or it'll flip."

"Those guns really do kick hard."

"That's a standard engineer's solution for you, if your big gun doesn't work, apply a bigger gun." Ginelli shrugged. "A scientist applies a better gun, which actually I need your help with."

"Right now?"

"Meh, it can wait until after snacks."

They watched the vehicles get to work, the tanks loading low powered paint rounds to engage the two light mechs the team possessed. It was fascinating to see the slow process of trial and error, the tanks working out new tactics and manoeuvres in real time before his eyes. At long range, the mechs had little issue dodging the incoming fire, and at close range the tanks had a devilish time swinging their guns around to match the speed of the mechs, but at medium ranges, they landed some solid hits.

"That's Ferro." He pointed to the Locust. "Gunship pilot, look how she sidesteps."

Ginelli watched with interest as the light mech evaded a pair of point rounds, her guns wiggling to indicate that if it was real, she'd have yet another kill to her name. Both mechs were extremely light on their feet, the second under the control of their resident Starfury transfer, with both pilots experts in evasive action. Tagging them was extremely difficult, but if in theory the tank gunners could hit these two, they could hit anything.

The big vehicles began to compensate for their flaws with new tactics, a gaggle of army officers watching from a closer vantage point, huddling together after every exchange of fire, and then calling up their tank crews to suggest a new approach. At first, the tanks had engaged the nearest target one on one, but as they began to learn, they started ganging up on one mech at a time. One tank would lay down a barrage of rapid, but innacurate fire, that forced a mech to evade right into the sights of its partner. Slowly, they refined their teamwork, while the two mech pilots took note and formulated their own response, a steady battle of capabilities pushing both sides to innovate.

"You make these sandwiches yourself?"

"Yeah, any good, Doc?"

"Think if I paid you there'd be more?"

Garibaldi broke a massive smile. "For you Doc, on the house. Come on, let's go get this job done, huh?"

The pair put the training grounds behind them and headed towards the hangars containing the rest of the unit. There was always some activity going on, some maintenance or checks on the machines accompanied by hammering, welding, or somebody swearing very loudly.

"How's Humpty?" Garibaldi spotted the Urbanmech just inside the doorway, the body of the vehicle splattered with mud and sand, as was custom.

"Still not working without a pilot. However this control system is set up, I can't figure it out." Ginelli shook her head. "I can't even just strip it out and start again because then nothing works. And if I copy it, I just copy all the problems too. Absolutely frustrating."

As stumpy as the mech looked, it was still well armed and tough. The scientific team had painted its name on the forward armour, along with a cartoon egg representing its fairy tale namesake. The egg was cracked of course and had human features, but unlike the children's tale, this egg was wearing sunglasses, chomping on a cigar, and brandished a cluster of massive guns in each hand.

"You'll figure it out Doc." Garibaldi was confident. "You just need more coffee."

"Maybe an artificial brain wired directly into the system. Oh, or a monkey brain, that might work."

"On second thoughts, less coffee."

They approached the second mech bay, this one containing the Warhammer jealously guarded by the scientists. General Fraser had definitely wanted to play around with that second heavy mech, but had been so far refused. It was a rare privilege to pilot the heavily modified machine.

"We're taking Sir Isaac." She pointed to the machine. "Better get your hat, Mister Garibaldi, I'll see you up there."

He took a detour to pick up his neuro helmet from the adjacent locker room, returning to climb the stairs of the mech bay up to the level of the cockpit access. Sir Isaac was, of course, a fitting name for the Warhammer, the science team paying tribute to one of their old inspirations. The vehicle also carried nose art, a surprisingly crisp picture of the old physicist with curly wig and seventeenth century regalia straight out of a portrait gallery. What set it apart from most art, though, was the fact Isaac Newton was in the process of ripping open his ornate coat to reveal an extraordinarily muscled torso with his formulas tattooed on it. Somebody was clearly a big fan.

"Come on Mister Garibaldi, hop in, there's science to be done!"

He did as told, climbing on to the top of the heavy mech and dropping down into the cockpit, settling into the seat, and cramming the helmet on his head.

"Do I need my cooling suit?"

"Nah, we won't be out here long, just a weapons test." Ginelli climbed on and sat down beside the open hatch. "No need to close up, keep it open, enjoy the sun."

"Fair enough Doc." He began the start up sequence. "You okay up there?"

"Just walk smooth and don't bounce too much."

The Warhammer whirred to life, cockpit screens flickering and scrolling as they booted up. Below his feet, he felt the shudder of the gyros synching and the slight heat of the fusion reactor. Everyone had said it was his imagination, that there was plenty of shielding around the reactor, but he definitely felt that thing fire up.

"Okay Doc, here we go."

The heavy mech took a step forward, Garibaldi adjusting slightly as he settled in. Most of his time was spent in the Marauder, also a pretty big machine, but with reverse jointed legs, meaning it handled a little differently. He felt the Warhammer was a bit more stiff, but ultimately there wasn't much difference. He took the path out of his bay, followed the signals from the ground crew, then headed out of the hangar toward their own testing range.

"This is a lot higher up than Humpty." Ginelli looked around. "The tanks are still shooting, we'll take the sandpit instead."

He turned the machine a little and strolled at a leisurely pace toward their spot, a smaller gunnery range filled with craters and burnt vegetation to the point it looked like a black desert, hence the sandpit. It was a pleasant journey with the hatch open, Ginelli dangling one leg in the cockpit as she leaned her head back and relished the breeze.

"Taking position." Garibaldi checked the sensor network. "No friendlies or civilians on the scopes."

"Okay, good." The Scientist dragged a data pad from one of the large pockets of her white coat. "We're going to test the rotary pulse cannons."

"The what?" Garibaldi looked up at her. "You put rotary pulse cannons on this thing?"

"Two of them." She beamed. "I wanted the new gatling cannons they are making for the Thunderbolt fighter, but they are too unstable. Or was I too unstable? One or the other."

"Is this safe?"

"Safe?" She giggled. "It's science."

"Yeah but..."

"It's perfectly zogging safe."

"Zogging?"

"Long story, weird dream, let's shoot guns."

That he could get behind. "Alright, weapons charged and hot, range is clear, all set."

"Give me a three second burst at four hundred metres."

Garibaldi did as instructed, the heavy arms of the Warhammer aligning on target as the computer zeroed onto a wooden board with the word hospital written on it. "Locked and firing."

The sheer violence that one push of the trigger unleashed took him by surprise, the arm guns chugging out a rapid stream of particle pulses that vapourised the small target and turned much of the ground beside it into smoking holes.

"He he he." Ginelli entered a few notes. "Five seconds this time, make it six hundred metres."

"Where did you get these things?"

"They were from the Strike Furies, the twin seat ones for anti ship work? I increased the rate of fire a little."

"Why?"

"Why?" She frowned as if it was obvious. "For science. Now waste that cardboard orphanage for me."

Garibaldi did as told and spent the next few minutes firing at various targets in various sequences. It was actually pretty entertaining.

"If you think these are good, wait until we get the real gatling guns." Ginelli added more notes. "Alright, one hundred metres sustained fire. Just hold the trigger until it redlines."

He aligned the guns for close range duty and depressed the trigger, both pulse cannons shuddering the mech as they unloaded. He kept a close eye on the heat gauges, the needles steadily rising as the seconds ticked on, the cockpit becoming very noticeably warmer.

"Doc?"

"Keep blasting!"

Those were the orders. The guns began to glow, the heat spiked, and finally the safety systems cut in and shut down the weapons. It was a sauna in the cockpit and Garibaldi absolutely regretted not having his cooling suit.

"Come up here, get some cool air." Ginelli patted the top of the machine. "That's all for today."

It was definitely much nicer outside, though the air did smell of burning grass and wood.

"I was impressed that you hit every school bus."

"You know these are the targets we're supposed to aim around." Garibaldi pointed out. "They run hostile targets across here and we kill them, not the orphanage."

"Oh, that actually makes sense," she suddenly realised. "I just thought it was a Minbari kiddie pool."

"I guess it might have been." Garibaldi shrugged, still feeling the heat radiating out of the cockpit. "So, is it true you're the one who got us out here?"

"Kind of, it was a team effort," she answered, catching a breeze again. "But it was my calculations, so I took one for the team."

"It ain't such a bad thing."

"No?" She tilted her head.

"Nah, better than getting roasted by a bunch of genocidal aliens." Garibaldi grinned. "Did anyone actually thank you for saving all our asses?"

"I can't remember, I just remember all the pointing and shouting."

"Thank you for saving all our asses." Garibaldi held out his hand, Ginelli grasping it over the open cockpit. "Good job, Doc."

They shook hands, the scientist just smiling to herself and looking aside.

"You don't mind I dropped us into space middle ages, but with robots?"

"Actually I'd call that a plus. These things are awesome."

"Aren't they!" She turned back, brimming with enthusiasm. "Do you want to know about my secret project? A mech with battleship cannons!"

"Going to be a while, until this thing is cool enough to walk us home." Garibaldi shrugged. "Hit it, Doc, what you got?"

"Okay, so, it's three hundred tons and has twenty inch railguns on its back, probably nuclear capable, and then..."

Garibaldi half listened and half just enjoyed the moment. This was a better place.