Babylon 5 A Fighting Chance --- A Babylon 5 AU

[Harlock]

Appreciate the comment and glad to provide a little distraction in these rather unsteady days

I know a lot of people pop in to read but don't fancy participating in this board for their own reasons. Nothing wrong with that, I've never been one of those writers that craves the attention and needs a hundred comments between chapters. I write for me, but if others enjoy it then it is nice and I do take some satisfaction in providing a bit of entertainment

B5 was a big part of my early teen years and was a positive influence I think. I'm happy to extend that story a little and perhaps bring it to the attention of those who may not know it. Especially as those were 25 or so years ago now. Which is crazy

The title for the next part of the AU will be simply 'The Babylon Project' as ultimately that is what it is and I don't want to be too dramatic. Simple title for a simple premise.
It will be bigger than the TV show as I can do more among the other powers, more with the Narn and Centauri, lots more with the Minbari, plenty with Earth. Some familiar plots, some new ones, some alternate endings to existing story lines. About mid season 2 is where the real divergence happens and after that it will be effectively new ground

 

[Low]

Sounds great look forward to it.

 

[Zero]

Happy memories watching babylon 5 years ago.

 

[Revan]

Appreciate the comment and glad to provide a little distraction in these rather unsteady days

I know a lot of people pop in to read but don't fancy participating in this board for their own reasons. Nothing wrong with that, I've never been one of those writers that craves the attention and needs a hundred comments between chapters. I write for me, but if others enjoy it then it is nice and I do take some satisfaction in providing a bit of entertainment

B5 was a big part of my early teen years and was a positive influence I think. I'm happy to extend that story a little and perhaps bring it to the attention of those who may not know it. Especially as those were 25 or so years ago now. Which is crazy

The title for the next part of the AU will be simply 'The Babylon Project' as ultimately that is what it is and I don't want to be too dramatic. Simple title for a simple premise.
It will be bigger than the TV show as I can do more among the other powers, more with the Narn and Centauri, lots more with the Minbari, plenty with Earth. Some familiar plots, some new ones, some alternate endings to existing story lines. About mid season 2 is where the real divergence happens and after that it will be effectively new ground

Harlock you sure know how to write one hell of an epic. When can we expect more? A story like this makes a man hungry for more.

 

[moreorlesser]

Hi there! I'm new to this site and I have a few questions.

1: Did you write the dilgar war fanfiction? If so then thank you for giving me something incredible to read over the quarentine!

2: is there anywhere I can read the completed Last Star fanfiction?

3: can I expect more phenominal writing from you any time soon?

 

[Harlock]

Nice to meet you and glad you found some entertainment here

I did write that one yeah, had a lot of free time on my hands I'm working on a revised edition, no big changes just smoothing it out a bit, expanding some of the early parts, that sort of thing

Never got round to finishing Last Star, other ideas took over. I do aim to finish it, got all the chapters planned, just a question of time.

I do have three or four pieces in progress, shouldn't be too long before I can start posting some

 

[kclcmdr]

Hi there! I'm new to this site and I have a few questions.

1: Did you write the dilgar war fanfiction? If so then thank you for giving me something incredible to read over the quarentine!

2: is there anywhere I can read the completed Last Star fanfiction?

3: can I expect more phenominal writing from you any time soon?

If the great author doesn't terribly mind the placing of the author's story here from SB.com...

below are the link to his other stories at the creative forum there...

Lightning_Count. Amethyst Earth_AU ... Direct Link - -- 12.17.2008
Lightning_Count. Amethyst - Earth AU ... Link - -- 12.16.2008
Lightning_Count. At The Crossroads Of Destiny_RAAB AU Sequel ... Link - -- 02.12.2009
Lightning_Count. Fire & Ice_StarTrek Xover ... Link - -- 03.11.2009
Lightning_Count. Forged in Fire_BuffyAngel_Jericho_XOver ... Link - -- 01.24.2008
Lightning_Count. Star Trek_The Looming Shadow ... Link - -- Completed
Lightning_Count. Hero Of The Soviet Union - SGC WW2 AU Xover ... Link - -- 09.10.2008
Lightning_Count. Home Fires Burning - A RAAB AU nBSG_SGC XOver ... Link - -- 01.01.2009
Lightning_Count. Mass Effect- Home AU XOver ... Link - -- 02.23.2012
Lightning_Count. MinbariWar_AUConcept_DilgarAssisted ... Link - -- 05.26.2011
Lightning Count. Survivors_Mass Effect_Space Battleship Yamato ... LINK -- 12.25.2018
Lightning_Count. The Dilgar War... Link - Link 1 of 4
Lightning_Count. The Dilgar War... Link - Link 2 of 4
Lightning_Count. The Dilgar War... Link - Link 3 of 4 --
Lightning_Count. The Dilgar War... Link - Link 4 of 4 -- 11.21.2007
Lightning_Count. The Dilgar War - Characters... Link - Link -- CH 71
Lightning_Count. The Lost Way_SW AU ... Link - -- 08.10.2007
Lightning_Count. The Last Star_Final 6 Mo Minbari War Xover ... Link - -- 04.06.2008
Lightning_Count. Wasted (Fallout and more SI) Lightning_Count ... LINK -- 01.01.2016

 

[moreorlesser]

If the great author doesn't terribly mind the placing of the author's story here from SB.com...

below are the link to his other stories at the creative forum there...

Ah, so the stories are still ongoing?

I have a lot of reading to do

 

[Adventwolf]

Finally got through this. I read the original awhile back and was somewhat dissatisfied when it just ended. Glad I came across this site and saw that the story was being updated. Don't know what was changed as I hadn't read the original in awhile but liked it nonetheless. I am happy to see that a sequel is being made.

With the EA getting new tech they are going to be able to from a stronger core for the coming war against the old ones. The biggest advantage they are getting is going to be the armor. EA ships are already heavily armored with the new armor they would still use the same amount as before and that would make the ships a true damage sponge. The ability to create massive amounts of material will allow the ships to upgraded so they can survive heavy fighting against stronger foes in the future.

Yes to Babylon stations as there is still a desire to build a place to facilitate diplomacy, but they will be even less successful this time round
But still good for trade and business which is why they keep them active. Same basic history too, exploded, exploded, exploded, vanished, cheap

Why would the stations explode? That was a thing because of sabotage from the xenophobia born of being abandoned by all other races and nations. It was literally seen as an insult to the Earth Alliance and Humans that after being betrayed they had to be the ones to reach out for diplomacy.

Here they didn't get abandoned and in fact they owe the survival and victory to the diplomacy of other races. Something that will not be hidden even the rest of the League and allies that did back off when they were threatened by the Minbari came back the moment th stealth was beaten.

So I really don't see how the stations will be destroyed. In fact I see them as being even more important this time around with the possibility of real increased warfare more than one would be wanted. With each serving at different nexus points instead of just one point. Establishing a network of stations both for trade and diplomatic contact all over known space. The 4th could still disappear and instead of the 5th being a cheaper project made by several it could be one the same size and power as the 4th that required assistance as building 4 full sized stations before would still cost a lot money. And with the 5th one going to be in the area where the highest tension is going to be having all those affected help pay for it is a sound idea.

 

[Vlad_Dracul89]

If I may add my own input: What bothered me about Babylon 5, when I was older, were too 'perfect' main characters and villains now seemed to be more like cartoon villains. Ivanova and Garibaldi had more complex characters and better explained personalities than Sheridan and Delenn.
Conversely, President Clark himself now seems almost ridiculous character to me. He certainly deserved more.

And when he died, puff, everyone was happy again, Earth Alliance democratic again, all forgiven, villain gone. That's just stupid and naive. That's like implying that removing German head of state and secret police in 1939 would fix everything, but leaving military and bureaucracy mostly intact.

I could, however, imagine slow spiral into turning Earth Alliance into virtual military dictatorship with practically powerless civilian government in the end. It wouldn't be overnight change, obviously. It could start with mandatory conscription and basic military training for all young people, more militia and planetary defense forces in the colonies. That's reasonable precaution which could endure well into peace times.
Military governors in sectors and systems would gradually gain more power and independence to do whatever they want if necessary, to decentralize command structure to not allow military to be decapitated by single strike like the one Branmer tried to achieve.

Just some thoughts

 

[What's the sitch?]

I can't get into watching babylon five after learning the premise is that humans have to play nice with a race that tried and was genociding them for made up unprovoked reasons. I just don't see humans doing that. We would either go down fighting or keep running terrorist/guerilla actions(while babylon series is running)(and they refuse to kill us because of muh souls) until we were wiped out or won. There can be no peace without their blood after that shit show.

We only accept "defeat" of that kind amongst ourselves, and even then not always.

 

[drakensis]

There do seem to have been Clarke apologists a century or so later, according to the episode that was made up of scenes from the future history. And centuries later, a holodeck simulation of Garibaldi foiled at a first strike by an Earth-centric faction that led to their enemies launching their own first strike and apparently blasting Earth back to a pre-industrial state where the events of B5 are essentially religious teachings.

So all the Babylon 5 crew could do was win their generation's struggle.

 

[Culsu]

I can't get into watching babylon five after learning the premise is that humans have to play nice with a race that tried and was genociding them for made up unprovoked reasons. I just don't see humans doing that. We would either go down fighting or keep running terrorist/guerilla actions(while babylon series is running)(and they refuse to kill us because of muh souls) until we were wiped out or won. There can be no peace without their blood after that shit show.

We only accept "defeat" of that kind amongst ourselves, and even then not always.

That's not really the case, though. There was no genocide happening yet, and at the eve of victory the Minbari basically decided to go home and return to a status quo ante. Earth was insanely lucky, even though the whole war was a massive overreaction on part of the Minbari. Mind, it was an overreaction, but it was not unprovoked.

 

[What's the sitch?]

I mean I could go aiming a gun at police officer , but I don't think I could turn around and claim that its my religious custom as a defense when I get shot at or sent to prison for 20+yrs.

Didn't the Minbari also refuse all surrenders and attempts at negotiation, and they were fully in the process of a genocide? Or is that pure fanfic that seems to be in most fanfics that I read?



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Immediately following the destruction of Jericho 3, the Minbari struck at half a dozen Earthforce bases in the space of just a few days, leaving no survivors and accepting no surrender
--------------------------------------------
The Minbari, frustrated by the futile but persistent Human resistance and their pride wounded by the handful of Earthforce victories, were determined to utterly annihilate the younger species by the time their fleet finally reached the Human homeworld. Knowing that nothing less but the total annihilation of Earth's populace and later all colonies will be going on Earth Alliance started to evacute people from Earth. To give Earth's civilian population time to flee to neutral territory, military and civilian leaders on Earth desperately organized a grand last stand, "to hold the line against the night". Nearly all of the Earth Alliance's remaining warships, fighters, and personnel were combined into a vast armada of more than 20,000 vessels (most of which are fighters). They were placed in near-Earth orbit and waited for the Minbari to strike.

A couple of cut and pastes from a Babylon5 wiki, it could be wrong I guess.


So you don't accept surrenders but also get frustrated when said species doesn't surrender and let you politely kill them?

 

[Culsu]

I mean I could go aiming a gun at police officer , but I don't think I could turn around and claim that its my religious custom as a defense when I get shot at or sent to prison for 20+yrs.

You could, if you were more powerful than the police. Which, to draw from your example, the Minbari were.

Didn't the Minbari also refuse all surrenders and attempts at negotiation, and they were fully in the process of a genocide? Or is that pure fanfic that seems to be in most fanfics that I read?

They refused all attempts at surrender, but genocide had not started yet, mainly because they ended up bypassing the larger colonies and directly went after Sol.

 

[Spartan303]

As far as Genocides go the body count for the Earth/Minbari war were surprisingly light. Confined to Military targets and installations while civilian ones were left alone.

While the Grey Council may have been all for extermination, aside from DeLenn. Its very open to interpretation but many think that Brammer has zero intentions of wiping out humanity. @Harlock has certainly played with that in his stories.

 

[Vlad_Dracul89]

I also must loathe the show's presentation of Minbari as a wise older race of thinkers and artists, aside from Warrior Caste characters (cartoon villains again). Who are honestly surprised why some Human 'fanatics' dislike them.

Yeah, they killed some thousands of Humans few years ago, they destroyed their military, target locked their homeworld...and some now are seriously overreacting...

EDIT: relevant

 

[Vlad_Dracul89]

By the way, am I the only one who thought that Delenn's transformation into Human-Minbari hybrid was actually horrifying and deeply disturbing? Not mentioning the possibility of having undetectable Minbari agents among us with Human DNA, if it was used a little more efficiently.

 

[Karmic Acumen]

By the way, am I the only one who thought that Delenn's transformation into Human-Minbari hybrid was actually horrifying and deeply disturbing? Not mentioning the possibility of having undetectable Minbari agents among us with Human DNA, if it was used a little more efficiently.

I think that the far future epilogue was even worse. Unless I'm retroactively hallucinating, it involved something called the Great Burn, mankind regressing or being bombed back to pre-industrial status, blaming all evil on technology, and then basically being Minbarised beyond recognition after humanity proves incapable of getting over its retardation without literally being indoctrinated by aliens. The Minbari, again.

This is the human race destined to replace the Vorlons? The poor man's Minbari? Really? I know the Vorlons are sanctimonious retards when you really read into their motivations and agenda, so they stumbled into some tasty thematic compatibility there, but really?

As this rendered the series entirely pointless, I never got the urge to watch it even once I did get internet access to all the pop culture that never aired in East Europe.

Good story though. Haven't read it all yet, but anything that averts the canon Human-Minbari war is good, and there seems to be a fair bit of character-driven plot here too, which is even better

 

[Vlad_Dracul89]

Just imagined how it could happen if Hague's military coup still happened in this post-war EA. And how torn Sheridan would be, much more than in show's case, where he could easily turn against cartoon villain fascist figure.

"The late president was found guilty of high treason in conspiracy with alien powers hostile to Earth Alliance. The Senate is unable to find any solution in this grave crisis, while galaxy is spiralling out of control. The military can't properly respond to any violent incursion into colonial territories, since you forbade any 'act of retaliation'. Citizens in outer colonies are dying and Mars is in rebellion, while you only debate it here, day after day.
Therefore, I, in the name of entire Earth Force and Mankind, declare Earth Senate dissolved. Gentlemen, go home. Your services are not required any longer."

- General Hague while dissolving Senate after arrest of President Santiago