EAS Agamemnon
Three Lightyears from Sian
"It's weak, but it's definitely a tachyon signal. That means it has to be one of ours," General Hague spoke from the Alexander, one of four faces split across the main communication screen. "My guess is it's the locator beacon on the Diplomatic Transport."
"The Jaddo beacon?" Captain Tamon Akari of the Achilles guessed.
"Probably. If it was the main disaster beacon, it would be drawing power from the ship's own reactor. That would make it easy to spot and shut down. The Jaddo has its own power reserve."
"We won't be able to jump straight in at this range, not without checking for hyperspace distortions between here and Sian." Sheridan shook his head in disappointment. "But if we get closer, we might have a shot."
"Exactly my thoughts, Captain." General Hague saw Sheridan was on the same page. "Our initial plan called for a pirate point entry over Sian. Chancellor Liao is almost certainly expecting that and will have deployed the bulk of his forces there. Instead of fighting through all that, we will instead perform a KF jump over the gas giant in the outer system."
"Is the gravity constant good enough?" Tamon asked.
"It is. Once there we scatter beacons for the return trip, then the Alexander will open a jump point for the whole fleet. Upon arrival, the Athena will create a jump point out, directly into low orbit."
"That's pretty deep into the gravity well." Sheridan cautioned. "We won't be able to move much."
"We don't need to. There are no enemy warships, this won't be a battle of maneuver," Hague answered. "Once the mission is done, we jump back to the gas giant and let our KF drives finishing recharging at a safe rate."
Sheridan looked over the amended plan, a brief animation of the planetary locations on their path to attack illuminating the new strategy.
"This will let us bypass their ambush and engage from a distance," Hague finalized. "And it means we are close enough to the planet to shoot down any planetary defense missiles in their boost phase. That's going to make life a lot easier."
"How up to date is our intel, General?"
"The maps are old, but it is unlikely new fortifications have been added. We will stay alert, but focus on your sectors and respond as you see fit," Hague outlined. "It is unlikely we will have time to recover the transport. We will therefore destroy it once we verify no Alliance personnel are onboard."
"Do we have permission to use strategic weapons?" Tamon asked the big question.
"The President has put all weapons under local control, so I'll make that call." Hague clarified his responsibility. "My intention is to use them only if there is no other option to ensure the mission succeeds. I don't intend for us to be the first people to nuke a city this century, but we'll do what we have to. Any further questions?"
"Just one sir," Sheridan raised. "When do we go?"
"Six hours, when the KF drives have cooled down enough for a safe jump." Hague set the clock. "Make whatever preparations you have to, see to it. Once we commit, there's no turning back."
The screen shut down, leaving Sheridan alone with his thoughts, his quarters dark. He waited a few moments, his mind blank, then with a snarl he stood up and tapped his link.
"Connect to communication group six, request a meeting at the usual place."
"Message sent." The computer responded. He headed for his door with purpose, like hell he was going to sit in the dark and brood for the next six hours. He was going to go do something useful. He stormed out of his doorway and barely stopped himself colliding with a small black clad object.
"Captain Sheridan, from your haste, can I assume we are about to begin our great rescue?"
"Mr. Bester." Sheridan forced a smile. "About six hours. I'll call the ship to stations about half an hour before. That'll be your cue to get to your shuttle."
"Understood." Bester acknowledged. "This is a little unusual for my team, a planetary assault. But one of mine is down there, it is my responsibility to bring him back. The Corps cares for all her children, after all."
"And as a bonus, you can help rescue the others too."
"Life has its little conveniences." Bester smiled unpleasantly. "But I want you to know, Captain. Mr. Morrison, the telepath I am responsible for, he has worked with David for many years and often noted your father showed him kindness and respect. My duty is to the Corps, but as a gesture of thanks, I will work to save your father too."
Sheridan briefly considered a sharp response but bit it back. Honestly, in this situation, he wasn't going to throw away an ally. "Thank you, Mr Bester."
"Of course, Captain. After all, we're all human."
"I'll raise." Natasha Kerensky threw some coins on the table.
"Bad move." Jaime Wolf laid down his cards. "Fold."
"Why's that? I'll see that bet." Sheridan threw in some of his own coins.
"Because she's in a bluffing contest with Hanse Davion." Jaime grinned at the fourth person at the table. "She's not even close to that smart."
"Hey!"
"But I respect the effort." The young prince put his own money down. "Let's add another hundred."
"Now I know you're bluffing." Natasha grinned. "I'll match it."
"Same here." Sheridan threw in too. "Call it."
All three laid down their cards, Hanse taking the win to the groans of the others.
"Told you." Jaime collected all the cards and started shuffling. "What did they call you at the academy?"
"The Fox." Hanse admitted. "I always thought it was because of my stunning good looks and success with women."
Everyone had a way to deal with the coming battle, for Sheridan, it had become this battle of wits and wills with his passengers. Over the last couple of weeks, they had ended up finding a few things in common, traditions and pastimes shared between both of their origins. Card games had been one of them, including the ever popular poker.
"You're good, I'll give you that." Sheridan allowed, the Prince giving a small nod of acknowledgement. "But you need to take my dad. He was poker champion at EarthDome, outplayed Ministers, Generals, even three different Presidents."
"Now that might be an actual challenge." Hanse grinned as Natasha pouted at him. "I look forward to meeting him again, and I am confident I will."
"We will." Sheridan knew it, knew it at the core of his being. "Sheridans are hard to kill."
"Very useful family trait." Jaime took a swig of cheap beer. "When all this is done, will you finally let me take a look at your bridge?"
"Nope." Sheridan answered curtly.
"Aw, Captain, I thought we were friends."
"If the President gives the okay, when we get home, I'll be glad to. Until then, you have your bit of the ship."
"Not even any windows." Natasha sighed. "Just grey. Everywhere."
"It's a warship, none of us have windows." Sheridan pointed out. "Weak points."
"Yeah." Jaime thought back to the warships he knew. "You'd think that would be pretty obvious."
"You'll need to bring your ships to New Avalon for the victory celebrations." Hanse pointed out. "I expect my brother will give you a crate of medals each."
"Just here to get the hostages back." Sheridan shook his head with a chuckle. "I have enough medals."
"But only one father." Natasha suddenly looked very thoughtful. "I have no parents, long story, but I was raised by my community. I feel fine about that, but since joining the Dragoons and seeing things a little differently, I sometimes wonder what it's like. Family, lovers, children."
"Don't start getting soft on me," Jaime jostled, receiving a kick under the table for his efforts.
"I just... I think I'm understanding it a little."
"Family matters more than words." Hanse gave his own view. "It's more than blood, more than a legacy."
"Must be hard for royalty, all those generations behind you," Jaime guessed. "Lot of expectation."
"My brother had it worse as the heir. I just have to not embarrass him or the Davion name."
"Lot of responsibility carrying a famous name," Natasha observed simply.
"Not easy when people expect you to keep pulling off the impossible because of who you are." Sheridan added his own concern.
"Well, by this time tomorrow, all that will matter is what we've done, not what the name carries." Jaime shrugged. "Or we'll be dead and it won't matter."
"How long?" Natasha asked.
"Four hours."
"Time enough to beat the Fox." She grinned at Hanse. "Just once, one time, that'll be enough."
"Deal the cards, Mr. Wolf." Hanse took the challenge. "I hate to disappoint a lady, but today is the day."
Sian
Capital of the Capellan Confederation.
16:45 hours
21st December 3008/2249
"Are you sure this piece of junk is even working?" Candace Liao stomped back and forth in the storeroom, directing her frustrations at Jiang Li as he sat at a table, staring at the communication console.
"It's working." He pointed at a blue dot at the bottom of the otherwise blank screen. "That means it's accepted my signal and confirmed my identity."
"So why am I looking at a black screen!" The woman demanded. "Why am I not speaking to your President? Was I in any way unclear about how critical this is?"
"I know."
"Don't you want your hostages back? Do they not know who I am?" she ranted. "Why are they wasting time?"
"They aren't." Jiang kept looking around. The storeroom was empty beside a bunch of boxes, but Candace's raised voice could attract attention. "But I think they've probably already made their choice. The President demanded the release of the hostages, no negotiations. This is no negotiations."
"She gave a deadline, it passed three days ago, nothing happened." Candace dismissed. "No ships, nothing, absolutely worthless!"
"Really?" Jiang asked. "You're not seeing the big picture. War isn't scheduled. The Chancellor was ready for a fight the second the deadline arrived. He had fighters in the sky, missile silos open, soldiers in their vehicles poised. And nothing. What happens?"
"They're still on alert."
"Exactly, three days on alert," Jiang pointed out clearly. "They are tired, uncomfortable, their combat readiness has slipped. When my people arrive, and they will, they'll be at a disadvantage."
At that point the screen beeped, both of them instantly snapping their gaze to it. A cursor flashed up. There was no face, no voice, just a text message that typed itself out from the far side of known space as the only communication.
"Jean has a long moustache," Candace read. "Well, good, I guess we're all saved."
Jiang didn't respond to her snark.
"Is this a joke? What is it? A code?"
"Yeah, a code." Jiang got up, absolutely businesslike, face set like stone, to a point where the fire went right out of Candace's face as she began to sense the gravity of it.
"What does it mean?"
"Get your people mobilized. Every one of them needs to have something blue on their clothing. A strip of cloth, paint, bright blue shirt, just something blue. Then you tell them that if someone shouts the word bulldog at them, they must reply immediately with the word shotgun. Is that clear?"
Like Jiang, Candace was suddenly very somber, understanding dawning on her. "Yes."
"Blue items, Bulldog, Shotgun." Jiang reminded. "If this leaks and you betray us, the deal is off and my people kill everyone, and I will absolutely fucking end you with my own bare hands. Are we clear?"
"Clear."
"This is going down right now. Call your people."
Sian Outer System
16:47
All five ships arrived together, arriving in a blaze of blue light resolving into the brutal dark grey warships. There was nothing lovely about the Omega, nothing comforting or appealing. It was the ultimate definition of form following function. Not an ounce of its mass was given over to anything other than killing things with the maximum efficiency.
"Jump successfully, KF drives on cooldown," Commander James relayed the information across the spacious bridge. It was a huge step up from the older Hyperion command center. Twice as many officers manned their stations, plotted markers on the tactical displays, or waited for their orders. They were all nervous. Sheridan didn't blame them.
"Deploy temporary beacons."
"Scattering beacons, aye sir."
That would mark their route back, their escape path. The ship was ready, battlestations were manned, Starfuries were on their racks with engines warm. Man and machine both teetered on the edge of the precipice, that final moment before they lost balance and began the fall.
"All stations." Sheridan requested. He had to say something, rather than have their last thoughts before battle be their own fears or doubts. He needed them to focus on something else.
"Connecting communications, all stations, ready."
"All hands, this is the Captain. We are about to jump into orbit of the enemy homeworld in a strike that might end a war before it starts. This is a rescue mission, but it will also be the fiercest battle many of us will face. Some of you have seen action before, most of you have not, but you are all ready. Trust the men and women beside you, trust the ship, and trust me.
"We had all hoped to escape war, but that has not been possible. Everything has changed, and while we can forge a path for ourselves, we will only succeed if we are fearless. On the verge of moments like this, I like to remember the words of Abraham Lincoln: The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation."
It was something he had read long ago, something he brought with him to every command, every duty.
"We will go to Sian, the heart of Liao. We will destroy all opposition, and we will come home. We didn't start this fight, but we are damn well going to finish it. Give 'em hell, Aggy."
He could see on the faces of the bridge crew, in the way they were now standing, the pride and confidence they showed. They were ready.
"Captain, Alexander is opening her jump point."
"Ahead one third, nice and steady, we're hauling a lot of cargo." Sheridan set their path. "The second we hit orbit, weapons free. Don't wait for the order, if it moves it dies."
Sian Orbit
16:51
A Minbari fleet would have put themselves directly over the Forbidden City, in optimum firing position. They would have eliminated their targets before the vortex even closed behind them, and within three minutes, there would be nothing but rubble and flames. Earth could not match that. This was going to be a hard brutal slog, but each and every one of them was steeled for the challenge. This wasn't the Minbari war. They weren't going to lose.
The opening of the vortex was an unknown phenomenon, and those fighters on patrol above the city didn't know exactly what to make of it. On some level, they knew it was wrong, that it was a very bad sign, but the spectacle itself was so overwhelming, so eerily beautiful in those few instants when they could have acted, that none did. Nothing they did would have stopped what was coming, but they might perhaps have saved themselves.
The five hardened destroyers arrived one after the other through the single vortex, which meant only one of the five ships had to use its drives, the other four able to keep theirs on standby for a hasty exit. Each instantly opened fire, the twin forward guns sweeping red laser fire across the sky, cutting through the handful of defense satellites immediately in their path, a cascade of bright explosions signaling the start of the mission. The warships quickly fanned out, gun batteries laying down a ferocious barrage of pulse and laser fire in all directions, mowing down the nearest fighter patrols before they could build up enough speed to get clear of the killing zone.
"Orbital insertion confirmed, engaging all targets of opportunity," Commander James rattled down the list. "Targeting satellites, hostile fighters, and mines."
"Give me the tactical plot." Sheridan swung his captain's chair about to look at the rapidly updating sensor picture, the Agamemnon crew hastily filling in the details. "No minefields, no ambush, no reason to make a run for it."
"Shall I begin launch sequence, sir?"
"Do it, launch fighters and decouple drop ships," Sheridan confirmed. "We're a sitting duck with those things clipped on. Get them loose so we can move at more than a crawl."
The first big concern of the fleet had been flying into more defenses than expected, which would have required them to abandon the operation entirely. They couldn't risk five ships and such a massive mech force if they were never even going to get to the drop site. With the sky defended, but not saturated, they could at least now fight their way through.
One by one the dropships detached, docking rings snapping open with small puffs of icy air, allowing the spherical assault units to roll away and give the destroyers freedom to fight. All five warships were laying down a constant hail of fire, switching from lasers to pulse cannons and back again depending on the situation.
"Tell them to keep in close between us and the Apollo, we'll shield them while Hague screens us," Sheridan ordered. "Put us in position over the city, get ready for a warm welcome."
Starfuries poured out from the heavily engaged destroyers, each carrying two squadrons of superiority fighters and one squadron of Strike Furies, carrying heavier weapons and a tail gunner. They were immediately intercepted by responding Capellan fighters, the closest defenders surprised but quickly converging now that battle was joined.
"Strike squadrons, stay close to the ships, provided close cover for the landing force," Jeffrey Sinclair barked across the airwing frequency, sliding his own squadron from the Alexander into lead position. "All other squadrons, break and intercept any targets."
He opened the throttles, pulling away and up from the destroyer, her flank guns still blasting away at satellites. Most of the armed defense satellites were down for this sector, but there were still a lot of targets, the surveillance and communication satellites relaying accurate targeting data against the task force, for instance. All had to go.
"Hostiles, forty plus, accelerating hard from the surface," his wingman Mitchell spotted. "Mix of medium and heavies."
"All squadrons remember, you have to hit them more than once, keep firing until they go down." Sinclair angled his Fury and dropped some altitude to intercept. "They are well armed, don't wait to evade, and get in close! Use your agility!"
The elite fighters moved as fast as possible. More and more enemy squadrons were being diverted from their patrol sectors to try and keep the Earth Forces busy until reinforcements could be deployed. Right now, Sinclair's squadrons had the numerical advantage, but that wasn't going to last long. He had to exploit it while he could.
"Alpha squadron, we're going for the heavies," he decided. "Remember, multiple hits unless you get close enough to bullseye the pilot. Engage by pairs, after me."
The squadron peeled off one after the other, blue flame spearing out from the main thrusters as each leader and wingman pair broke in sequence and vectored into the approaching targets. The Capellans matched them, loosening their formation and selecting targets before launching missiles and starting the game.
"Alpha Leader, countermeasures."
"Alpha Two, countermeasures."
Sinclair and Mitchell both calmly deployed a mixture of chaff, flares, and electronic decoys to help spoof the wave of inbound anti fighter missiles, then took a few sharp evasive turns to break any radar locks an opponent may have on them. Alpha squadron as a whole had little difficulty dodging missiles, but some of the newer squadrons were less lucky. The first few Starfuries began to drop, three brought down by missiles and another two by lasers, one of them far enough down he was already spinning out of control into the upper atmosphere.
"All squadrons, watch your altitude, atmo deck is damn close and we're not coming back for you! Stay high and don't get spoofed into chasing a target down!"
It should have been a clear part of their training, but the Minbari War had been vicious for the Starfury corps, leaving Earth with either exceptionally good pilots or exceptionally new ones. The scale of this fight meant that while half the force were hardened veterans, the other half were mostly untested, and while their training was good, nothing could prepare a person for that first real battle.
"Alpha Squadron going for the merge. Stick close Mitchell, this is going to be a furball."
"Right with you, Leader."
Sinclair found his target, a hefty bodied fighter that looked like it had more markings and decoration than it's peers. Maybe a squadron leader, maybe an ace, maybe just someone who made the mistake of being noticeable. He vectored around and rushed in from the flank, gravity tugging and jolting him as the fighter veered. A stream of bright tracers whipping past his canopy as someone tried to engage him from the flank. Sinclair noted it but didn't worry, Mitchell would be on it before it became a problem, he just had to zero his own target.
The brightly marked fighter must have spotted him and turned toward him, accelerating and rolling into an evasive break. A good response, but it wasn't going to stop Sinclair. He adjusted slightly, rotated to avoid some additional incoming fire, then from head on put a single shot through the canopy of the heavy fighter.
He fired his maneuvering thrusters and rolled aside, the now out of control fighter skimming under his wings, locked at full burn, Sinclair already lining up on the wingman next, who wisely went full evasive. After seeing his leader downed in one shot, the wingman wasn't going to tangle with Sinclair alone, instead pulling back toward friendly allies. Ultimately, it just meant Sinclair had to fire a few more shots. One through the now easily targeted engines to cut off his escape, one through a wing to make the enemy fighter flip end over end, and as soon as the cockpit came into view, one final shot once again through the canopy.
It was cold. The myth was pilots only killed enemy machines, they didn't aim for each other, but that was before the Minbari War had taught Earth Force to go for the hard kill as quickly and efficiently as possible. Most of the time there wouldn't be a second chance, and those few who lived to tell the tale had rapidly lost any romanticism or shreds of honor. The veteran pilots of Earth Force were the best in the business, but only by becoming as heartless and efficient as the fighters they flew. It wasn't hard when most had seen whole squadrons wiped out around them.
Sinclair quickly found a new target. More Capellan craft were piling into the growing orbital battle, which was costing lives on both sides. It was grim but necessary. If they were fighting out here, they weren't threatening the transports.
"Keep the pressure on them Alpha wing, keep them away from the destroyers."
The Capellan defences were by now responding in earnest. Pilots ran to their fighters, missile silos went through a hasty launch check, and troops across the planet rushed to their assigned posts. Even with a pirate point jump, the defenders were reasonably expecting an hour or two to man their posts and get ready before they had to act. An enemy showing up directly overhead was not part of their training. Never the less, they moved as fast as they could. In several locations, the tiny specks of the warships were visible overhead, ominously lining up over the capital city.
"Hague to fleet: assume bombardment positions, stand by to engage assigned targets."
Each of the five ships were still engaging orbital targets around them, the shell of a broken satellite pancaking into the side of the Alexander and wedging itself there. The gunfire had grown a little less intense as the initial targets had been erased, but they still had to deal with several hostile fighters skirting the Starfury cover and trying to hit the ships on a flank.
"General, sensors have the main Capellan force turning around and burning our way." Hague's aide Major Ryan kept an eye on the screens. "Estimate twenty minutes until contact with the initial waves of fighters."
These had been the forces guarding the pirate point, dozens of dropships and carriers filled to the brim with aerospace fighters and whatever missiles could be loaded. They were going to be a challenge due to their sheer numbers, but the real problem would be if they coordinated their attacks with planet based squadrons.
"Jam their communications," Hague ordered. "Focus on the planet first. Airbases, missile centres, communication facilities, staging areas."
"Set, General."
"Begin firing pattern."
The destroyers had orientated themselves to hold in orbit. They were far too low to sit in geosynch, so they had to keep a periodic burn to maintain their position over the Forbidden city. The Agamemnon and Apollo were still descending, the dropships nestled between the two immense blocks of armed metal, using the sheer mass of the Omegas as a shield. They would both park themselves as low as possible and provide direct fire support for the landing forces, while the other three ships covered them and maintained overwatch.
First, though, the fleet had to clear a path for the dropships, and that meant the removal of anything that looked even slightly threatening. All five ships aligned over the region and turned their forward and lower guns to the planet, the cannons on the upper surface still spluttering at random hostiles that strayed too close.
"Weapons set for area attack, target areas locked. Beginning initial strike pattern."
Simultaneously, the destroyers unleashed their wrath on the planet below, the first strikes targeted against airfields. Lasers fell like red lances of light that touched the ground in a thunderous flash of boiling moisture and melting rock. The lasers had lost a lot of power to the atmosphere, the diffusion and bloom scattering much of their strength, the air itself absorbing their heat, but enough remained to tear up the runways and cook any fighter still on the ground.
Capellan pilots launched as fast as they could, most foregoing full checks, some going full afterburner on taxi ways to get airborne before their base came under devastating fire. Some hardy examples ploughed through the grassy flats in an attempt to avoid the runways, orbital laser strikes melting and splitting the ground around them, leaving deep rents that radiated heat like an oven. Some succeeded in getting airborne, some did not.
"General, ground based ballistic missiles are starting to launch." Ryan kept monitoring. "Marking their locations."
"Switch targets, engage current threats, then return to suppressing the airbases."
"On it, sir."
"Have Agamemnon and Apollo engage their targets as soon as possible. I want operations moving to the assault phase in fifteen minutes or less."
The destroyers altered their tactics slightly. The big laser cannons continued carving away at ground targets, while the secondary turrets switched to intercept mode and engaged the incoming missiles. In their boost phase, the ballistic missiles were still picking up speed as they fought against gravity, making them easy enough targets. The destroyers were keeping ahead of the situation for now, but the problem was they could only hit targets they could see. While bases and defenses around the capital city were being savaged, all of the other facilities shielded by the curvature of the planet were launching their fighters and missiles unhindered, with orders to converse on the aggressors.
"Captain, we are at our assigned altitude." Commander James halted the engines. "Holding station above the Forbidden city."
"Prepare for heavy bombardment. Switch reserve power to the forward plasma cannons."
"Aye sir, switching launchers to plasma mode, full charge in twenty seconds."
The Agamemnon and Apollo rotated downward, setting the front of their ships to face the city below. As they did, so the vast oblong cannons hanging from the chin of the ship began their initiation sequence. Like the other weapons, they would lose a lot of their energy to the atmosphere, but these guns were so vast and delivered such a volume of plasma it didn't matter much.
"Firing solution set, targeting ground based fortifications, defensive batteries, staging areas, and transport links."
"Commence firing."
The two destroyers began a methodical bombardment, great masses of green energized plasma leaving the fixed forward guns in steady bursts. A few at one target before the ship moved slightly to bring another into arc. The other three ships maintained their own precision strikes, swatting missiles and pinpointing bridges to stop a coordinated response, all the while the dropships impatiently waited for the order to go.
On the surface, there was panic, the population fleeing as quickly as they could to the public bunkers, families running with whatever their most easily grabbed possessions were. Children, pets, heirlooms, memories. None had expected this city to be placed under threat, not here on Sian, and not with such suddenness. There was no plan to deal with this, local police and the army funneling and directing the people as best they could.
"What happened to the early warning systems?" Candace demanded as she stormed through the administration officers tied to the palace. "We were supposed to have two to three hours notice!"
"I don't know excellency." A very nervous older man in a badly fitted suit bowed to her, presumably the most expendable of her loyalist team and hence the one sent to absorb her wrath. "We didn't detect them until they were already in orbit."
"Did you know about this?" She jabbed a finger at Jiang, who had stayed close behind her as she rallied her support.
"I'm not a sailor, I can't speak to the specific abilities of our warships." He shrugged. "I do know that this is just the prelude. Do you have enough shelters for these people?"
"Yes, yes, easily, there's the underground metro tubes too." Candace waved away the concerns. "They'll be fine. Will we be fine?"
"Yes, but we have to keep moving." Jiang assured. "There's bound to be a ground assault soon."
"Mistress." The subordinate tried to finish his report. "We have identified three possible locations for the prisoners, we are acting now to secure each of them."
"That will have to be good enough." Candace grudgingly allowed. "Ambassador Sheridan won't be with them. Have my personal guards meet me at the sunken entrance to the Celestial Palace. We'll go rescue him personally."
"At once." The man scuttled away, both pleased and surprised to still be breathing. Candace turned toward Jiang, pausing to gaze out from a window in the office. Beyond the sun was low in the late afternoon sky, the orange haze it created shrouded in distant smoke from the orbital bombardment. Red lines of energy reached down from far above, the distant beams scraping across the land leaving more smoke in their wake.
"I suppose I can use this, it will eliminate a lot of forces loyal to my father." She looked up to see several bright points falling from above like meteors to add to the destruction. "If they are gone, it will reduce resistance to my regime, but if I don't..."
The first of the newer falling lights struck the ground, the heavy plasma bolts releasing vastly more energy than the lasers. It created a dome of fire that instantly removed any low clouds above it and blasted a ring of dust and debris at supersonic speed away from its base. The sheer violence was on a different level to the lasers, the incandescent plasma immolating a forward operating base in the instant it touched the ground.
Candace was caught off guard by Jiang tackling her, roughly grabbing her around the waist and dropping her hard on the floor, knocking the breath from her. A heartbeat after he did so, the window exploded inward in a hail of razorsharp glass and stinging dust, the roar of the explosion all encompassing, its heat stiffening their clothes even at this distance.
"What the fuck!" Candace yelled, dragging herself up and shaking off the dust from her clothes. "You said there wouldn't be nukes!"
"That wasn't a nuke, that was just a plasma shot." Jiang rose up and looked out at the massive pillar of black smoke rolling with red flame. "They're taking out the fortresses, the ground based defenses."
Two more hit fairly close by, once again Jiang instinctively dragging Candace flat as the blast waves assaulted the city, this time stripping away tiles from the roof over their heads, giving them an expanding view of the sky above.
"Are they done?" Candace demanded angrily again pushing herself up to look out of the window, much of the view now obscured in black smoke and fires. There was a loud crash as half a supply truck fell from the sky and went through the roof of an office complex, the vehicle hurled for miles by the force of the explosions. If the lasers had caused panic, the plasma bolts escalated the situation to pure chaos.
"If they are, it means the troops are on the way, which means we need to double time it to the palace," Jiang emphasised. "Are your people ready?"
"They will be."
"Then we better go before this city becomes a warzone."
"Registering good hits on selected targets." Major Ryan correlated the information coming in from the various ships. "We've hit all of the local targets we can. The remaining bases are inside the city and close to civilian centers."
"We'll leave them to the airstrikes," Hague decided. "Where are the enemy space forces?"
"We have a cluster of about seventy missiles crossing the north pole and heading our way," Ryan checked. "A lot of them are probably nuclear. There are also about four hundred fighters coming in from the Pirate point, I'd guess that's the bulk of their response force."
"Then we better do something about it before it becomes a problem. Order Achilles and Athena to load energy mines and engage incoming fighters. We'll handle the missiles."
The trio of escorting destroyers shifted formation again, always continuing to screen the landing ships and staying aware of inbound enemy forces. The Alexander turned to face the forces coming in from the farside of the planet, putting her back to back with her sisters, the warships arming to take on enemies from both directions.
"Athena and Achilles report energy mines loaded, firing."
The Energy Mine was not a human invention. Earth had purchased the technology from the Narn for an extortionate amount of money, and the Omega was the first ship capable of mounting them. Nothing more than a blob of anti-protons launched at the enemy lines and designed to detonate in the midst of a fighter group or missile salvo, they were simple weapons with no real anti-ship ability unless a gunner was good enough to score a direct hit. They worked well as anti fighter weapons for the Narn, but didn't really fit human doctrine that preferred to counter enemy fighters with Starfuries and superlative point defenses. Until, of course, the Minbari had rendered those options almost worthless.
In this case, they were a good way to catch the enemy by surprise. The Capellans were smart enough to know massed attacks were the quickest way to saturate point defenses, so had clustered their units together. It was logical and would have made life very difficult for Sinclair's pilots, but put them at a severe disadvantage against energy mines.
The two escorts fired a pair of mines each, the shimmering orbs of energy racing out to arrive in an equal distant pattern, exploding around the enemy formation so the blastwaves converged in the center. The Alexander waited a little longer before firing, timing her attack to strike the much closer targets at the same instant as the more distant weapons. The Alexander had a slightly more difficult task. The incoming hostiles were much closer and their proximity to the planet made targeting more difficult.
Both sets detonated together, bright flashes of light followed by a wall of antiprotons that doused the nearby craft in antimatter. It wasn't a hefty amount of anti protons, not enough to immediately vaporize a target, but it was enough to annihilate the outer surface of everything it touched. The composition didn't matter, missile or fighter, anything exposed to the wave of antimatter sparked and flashed way. Secondary explosions as fuel and munitions cooked off finished the job, gutting the massed fighter and missile formations.
Despite the tremendous and unexpected level of destruction, there were still plenty of Capellan fighters left, some shorn of their outer fuselage armor and sporting swathes of pitted and cracked damage across their hulls. They pulled back to regroup, the strike buying some time, but also ensuring the Capellans wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
"That should make them think twice." Hague was clearly pleased with the result. "Status of the ground defences?"
"Successfully destroyed or suppressed, General."
"Give the go order to the landing ships." Hague at last gave the order. "Then assume a defensive position above the city and brace for a renewed attack."
"Aye sir, sending the word."
The Agamemnon and Apollo moved aside, clearing the way for the cluster of dropships to begin their journey and begin the main phase of the mission. Aerospace fighters, mostly in bright Dragoon colors but with a few AFFS craft mixed in, began launching one after the other, edging forward on thrusters to take screening positions ahead of the assault.
"Wolf to all units, move into drop position and begin initial de-orbit burn." Jaime performed final checks on his venerable Archer, the old mech still formidable in the right hands. "This will be a fast drop, expect a lot of turbulence, don't spare the retro burn because we won't have a lot of aerobraking."
"Jump jet units are first out the door once we reach safe speed," Natasha added. "Clear the initial Landing Zone and wait for reinforcements. Once we are down, pure aggression people, we are outgunned, outnumbered, and isolated. Our best weapon is going to be fury."
"Nobody has seen an attack like this since the reconquest of Terra, and you can bet there is a damn good reason for that," Jaime tied things up. "If anyone in the galaxy can make this work, it's us. Let's all go become legends. Fighters ahead, dropships begin powered descent."
The spherical and oblong craft fired their engines, taking them away from the shelter of the two destroyers, both still maintaining a steady rate of fire from all weapons. Even from orbit, it was possible to see the smoke around the city below created by burning bases and airfields scattered around the outskirts. In the near distance, fighter squadrons still battled, the Earth Force Starfuries gradually falling back as more and more Capellan craft piled in. The escorting destroyers were still mostly untouched, sometimes firing on a fighter that came too close or spitting out some pulse fire to intercept an inbound missile. It was a beautiful sight, if one didn't know that each flash was an act of destruction, a life potentially ending.
By far the most amazing sight was a coruscating green aurora in the upper atmosphere around them, Sian's magnetic field catching high energy particles left from the Alexander's energy mines in a gleaming display visible across the hemisphere, even in the early evening light. It gave the landing an eerie feeling, the interior of the dropships illuminated milky green as they passed through the aurora and started buffeting against the sky itself.
Three Lightyears from Sian
"It's weak, but it's definitely a tachyon signal. That means it has to be one of ours," General Hague spoke from the Alexander, one of four faces split across the main communication screen. "My guess is it's the locator beacon on the Diplomatic Transport."
"The Jaddo beacon?" Captain Tamon Akari of the Achilles guessed.
"Probably. If it was the main disaster beacon, it would be drawing power from the ship's own reactor. That would make it easy to spot and shut down. The Jaddo has its own power reserve."
"We won't be able to jump straight in at this range, not without checking for hyperspace distortions between here and Sian." Sheridan shook his head in disappointment. "But if we get closer, we might have a shot."
"Exactly my thoughts, Captain." General Hague saw Sheridan was on the same page. "Our initial plan called for a pirate point entry over Sian. Chancellor Liao is almost certainly expecting that and will have deployed the bulk of his forces there. Instead of fighting through all that, we will instead perform a KF jump over the gas giant in the outer system."
"Is the gravity constant good enough?" Tamon asked.
"It is. Once there we scatter beacons for the return trip, then the Alexander will open a jump point for the whole fleet. Upon arrival, the Athena will create a jump point out, directly into low orbit."
"That's pretty deep into the gravity well." Sheridan cautioned. "We won't be able to move much."
"We don't need to. There are no enemy warships, this won't be a battle of maneuver," Hague answered. "Once the mission is done, we jump back to the gas giant and let our KF drives finishing recharging at a safe rate."
Sheridan looked over the amended plan, a brief animation of the planetary locations on their path to attack illuminating the new strategy.
"This will let us bypass their ambush and engage from a distance," Hague finalized. "And it means we are close enough to the planet to shoot down any planetary defense missiles in their boost phase. That's going to make life a lot easier."
"How up to date is our intel, General?"
"The maps are old, but it is unlikely new fortifications have been added. We will stay alert, but focus on your sectors and respond as you see fit," Hague outlined. "It is unlikely we will have time to recover the transport. We will therefore destroy it once we verify no Alliance personnel are onboard."
"Do we have permission to use strategic weapons?" Tamon asked the big question.
"The President has put all weapons under local control, so I'll make that call." Hague clarified his responsibility. "My intention is to use them only if there is no other option to ensure the mission succeeds. I don't intend for us to be the first people to nuke a city this century, but we'll do what we have to. Any further questions?"
"Just one sir," Sheridan raised. "When do we go?"
"Six hours, when the KF drives have cooled down enough for a safe jump." Hague set the clock. "Make whatever preparations you have to, see to it. Once we commit, there's no turning back."
The screen shut down, leaving Sheridan alone with his thoughts, his quarters dark. He waited a few moments, his mind blank, then with a snarl he stood up and tapped his link.
"Connect to communication group six, request a meeting at the usual place."
"Message sent." The computer responded. He headed for his door with purpose, like hell he was going to sit in the dark and brood for the next six hours. He was going to go do something useful. He stormed out of his doorway and barely stopped himself colliding with a small black clad object.
"Captain Sheridan, from your haste, can I assume we are about to begin our great rescue?"
"Mr. Bester." Sheridan forced a smile. "About six hours. I'll call the ship to stations about half an hour before. That'll be your cue to get to your shuttle."
"Understood." Bester acknowledged. "This is a little unusual for my team, a planetary assault. But one of mine is down there, it is my responsibility to bring him back. The Corps cares for all her children, after all."
"And as a bonus, you can help rescue the others too."
"Life has its little conveniences." Bester smiled unpleasantly. "But I want you to know, Captain. Mr. Morrison, the telepath I am responsible for, he has worked with David for many years and often noted your father showed him kindness and respect. My duty is to the Corps, but as a gesture of thanks, I will work to save your father too."
Sheridan briefly considered a sharp response but bit it back. Honestly, in this situation, he wasn't going to throw away an ally. "Thank you, Mr Bester."
"Of course, Captain. After all, we're all human."
"I'll raise." Natasha Kerensky threw some coins on the table.
"Bad move." Jaime Wolf laid down his cards. "Fold."
"Why's that? I'll see that bet." Sheridan threw in some of his own coins.
"Because she's in a bluffing contest with Hanse Davion." Jaime grinned at the fourth person at the table. "She's not even close to that smart."
"Hey!"
"But I respect the effort." The young prince put his own money down. "Let's add another hundred."
"Now I know you're bluffing." Natasha grinned. "I'll match it."
"Same here." Sheridan threw in too. "Call it."
All three laid down their cards, Hanse taking the win to the groans of the others.
"Told you." Jaime collected all the cards and started shuffling. "What did they call you at the academy?"
"The Fox." Hanse admitted. "I always thought it was because of my stunning good looks and success with women."
Everyone had a way to deal with the coming battle, for Sheridan, it had become this battle of wits and wills with his passengers. Over the last couple of weeks, they had ended up finding a few things in common, traditions and pastimes shared between both of their origins. Card games had been one of them, including the ever popular poker.
"You're good, I'll give you that." Sheridan allowed, the Prince giving a small nod of acknowledgement. "But you need to take my dad. He was poker champion at EarthDome, outplayed Ministers, Generals, even three different Presidents."
"Now that might be an actual challenge." Hanse grinned as Natasha pouted at him. "I look forward to meeting him again, and I am confident I will."
"We will." Sheridan knew it, knew it at the core of his being. "Sheridans are hard to kill."
"Very useful family trait." Jaime took a swig of cheap beer. "When all this is done, will you finally let me take a look at your bridge?"
"Nope." Sheridan answered curtly.
"Aw, Captain, I thought we were friends."
"If the President gives the okay, when we get home, I'll be glad to. Until then, you have your bit of the ship."
"Not even any windows." Natasha sighed. "Just grey. Everywhere."
"It's a warship, none of us have windows." Sheridan pointed out. "Weak points."
"Yeah." Jaime thought back to the warships he knew. "You'd think that would be pretty obvious."
"You'll need to bring your ships to New Avalon for the victory celebrations." Hanse pointed out. "I expect my brother will give you a crate of medals each."
"Just here to get the hostages back." Sheridan shook his head with a chuckle. "I have enough medals."
"But only one father." Natasha suddenly looked very thoughtful. "I have no parents, long story, but I was raised by my community. I feel fine about that, but since joining the Dragoons and seeing things a little differently, I sometimes wonder what it's like. Family, lovers, children."
"Don't start getting soft on me," Jaime jostled, receiving a kick under the table for his efforts.
"I just... I think I'm understanding it a little."
"Family matters more than words." Hanse gave his own view. "It's more than blood, more than a legacy."
"Must be hard for royalty, all those generations behind you," Jaime guessed. "Lot of expectation."
"My brother had it worse as the heir. I just have to not embarrass him or the Davion name."
"Lot of responsibility carrying a famous name," Natasha observed simply.
"Not easy when people expect you to keep pulling off the impossible because of who you are." Sheridan added his own concern.
"Well, by this time tomorrow, all that will matter is what we've done, not what the name carries." Jaime shrugged. "Or we'll be dead and it won't matter."
"How long?" Natasha asked.
"Four hours."
"Time enough to beat the Fox." She grinned at Hanse. "Just once, one time, that'll be enough."
"Deal the cards, Mr. Wolf." Hanse took the challenge. "I hate to disappoint a lady, but today is the day."
Sian
Capital of the Capellan Confederation.
16:45 hours
21st December 3008/2249
"Are you sure this piece of junk is even working?" Candace Liao stomped back and forth in the storeroom, directing her frustrations at Jiang Li as he sat at a table, staring at the communication console.
"It's working." He pointed at a blue dot at the bottom of the otherwise blank screen. "That means it's accepted my signal and confirmed my identity."
"So why am I looking at a black screen!" The woman demanded. "Why am I not speaking to your President? Was I in any way unclear about how critical this is?"
"I know."
"Don't you want your hostages back? Do they not know who I am?" she ranted. "Why are they wasting time?"
"They aren't." Jiang kept looking around. The storeroom was empty beside a bunch of boxes, but Candace's raised voice could attract attention. "But I think they've probably already made their choice. The President demanded the release of the hostages, no negotiations. This is no negotiations."
"She gave a deadline, it passed three days ago, nothing happened." Candace dismissed. "No ships, nothing, absolutely worthless!"
"Really?" Jiang asked. "You're not seeing the big picture. War isn't scheduled. The Chancellor was ready for a fight the second the deadline arrived. He had fighters in the sky, missile silos open, soldiers in their vehicles poised. And nothing. What happens?"
"They're still on alert."
"Exactly, three days on alert," Jiang pointed out clearly. "They are tired, uncomfortable, their combat readiness has slipped. When my people arrive, and they will, they'll be at a disadvantage."
At that point the screen beeped, both of them instantly snapping their gaze to it. A cursor flashed up. There was no face, no voice, just a text message that typed itself out from the far side of known space as the only communication.
"Jean has a long moustache," Candace read. "Well, good, I guess we're all saved."
Jiang didn't respond to her snark.
"Is this a joke? What is it? A code?"
"Yeah, a code." Jiang got up, absolutely businesslike, face set like stone, to a point where the fire went right out of Candace's face as she began to sense the gravity of it.
"What does it mean?"
"Get your people mobilized. Every one of them needs to have something blue on their clothing. A strip of cloth, paint, bright blue shirt, just something blue. Then you tell them that if someone shouts the word bulldog at them, they must reply immediately with the word shotgun. Is that clear?"
Like Jiang, Candace was suddenly very somber, understanding dawning on her. "Yes."
"Blue items, Bulldog, Shotgun." Jiang reminded. "If this leaks and you betray us, the deal is off and my people kill everyone, and I will absolutely fucking end you with my own bare hands. Are we clear?"
"Clear."
"This is going down right now. Call your people."
Sian Outer System
16:47
All five ships arrived together, arriving in a blaze of blue light resolving into the brutal dark grey warships. There was nothing lovely about the Omega, nothing comforting or appealing. It was the ultimate definition of form following function. Not an ounce of its mass was given over to anything other than killing things with the maximum efficiency.
"Jump successfully, KF drives on cooldown," Commander James relayed the information across the spacious bridge. It was a huge step up from the older Hyperion command center. Twice as many officers manned their stations, plotted markers on the tactical displays, or waited for their orders. They were all nervous. Sheridan didn't blame them.
"Deploy temporary beacons."
"Scattering beacons, aye sir."
That would mark their route back, their escape path. The ship was ready, battlestations were manned, Starfuries were on their racks with engines warm. Man and machine both teetered on the edge of the precipice, that final moment before they lost balance and began the fall.
"All stations." Sheridan requested. He had to say something, rather than have their last thoughts before battle be their own fears or doubts. He needed them to focus on something else.
"Connecting communications, all stations, ready."
"All hands, this is the Captain. We are about to jump into orbit of the enemy homeworld in a strike that might end a war before it starts. This is a rescue mission, but it will also be the fiercest battle many of us will face. Some of you have seen action before, most of you have not, but you are all ready. Trust the men and women beside you, trust the ship, and trust me.
"We had all hoped to escape war, but that has not been possible. Everything has changed, and while we can forge a path for ourselves, we will only succeed if we are fearless. On the verge of moments like this, I like to remember the words of Abraham Lincoln: The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation."
It was something he had read long ago, something he brought with him to every command, every duty.
"We will go to Sian, the heart of Liao. We will destroy all opposition, and we will come home. We didn't start this fight, but we are damn well going to finish it. Give 'em hell, Aggy."
He could see on the faces of the bridge crew, in the way they were now standing, the pride and confidence they showed. They were ready.
"Captain, Alexander is opening her jump point."
"Ahead one third, nice and steady, we're hauling a lot of cargo." Sheridan set their path. "The second we hit orbit, weapons free. Don't wait for the order, if it moves it dies."
Sian Orbit
16:51
A Minbari fleet would have put themselves directly over the Forbidden City, in optimum firing position. They would have eliminated their targets before the vortex even closed behind them, and within three minutes, there would be nothing but rubble and flames. Earth could not match that. This was going to be a hard brutal slog, but each and every one of them was steeled for the challenge. This wasn't the Minbari war. They weren't going to lose.
The opening of the vortex was an unknown phenomenon, and those fighters on patrol above the city didn't know exactly what to make of it. On some level, they knew it was wrong, that it was a very bad sign, but the spectacle itself was so overwhelming, so eerily beautiful in those few instants when they could have acted, that none did. Nothing they did would have stopped what was coming, but they might perhaps have saved themselves.
The five hardened destroyers arrived one after the other through the single vortex, which meant only one of the five ships had to use its drives, the other four able to keep theirs on standby for a hasty exit. Each instantly opened fire, the twin forward guns sweeping red laser fire across the sky, cutting through the handful of defense satellites immediately in their path, a cascade of bright explosions signaling the start of the mission. The warships quickly fanned out, gun batteries laying down a ferocious barrage of pulse and laser fire in all directions, mowing down the nearest fighter patrols before they could build up enough speed to get clear of the killing zone.
"Orbital insertion confirmed, engaging all targets of opportunity," Commander James rattled down the list. "Targeting satellites, hostile fighters, and mines."
"Give me the tactical plot." Sheridan swung his captain's chair about to look at the rapidly updating sensor picture, the Agamemnon crew hastily filling in the details. "No minefields, no ambush, no reason to make a run for it."
"Shall I begin launch sequence, sir?"
"Do it, launch fighters and decouple drop ships," Sheridan confirmed. "We're a sitting duck with those things clipped on. Get them loose so we can move at more than a crawl."
The first big concern of the fleet had been flying into more defenses than expected, which would have required them to abandon the operation entirely. They couldn't risk five ships and such a massive mech force if they were never even going to get to the drop site. With the sky defended, but not saturated, they could at least now fight their way through.
One by one the dropships detached, docking rings snapping open with small puffs of icy air, allowing the spherical assault units to roll away and give the destroyers freedom to fight. All five warships were laying down a constant hail of fire, switching from lasers to pulse cannons and back again depending on the situation.
"Tell them to keep in close between us and the Apollo, we'll shield them while Hague screens us," Sheridan ordered. "Put us in position over the city, get ready for a warm welcome."
Starfuries poured out from the heavily engaged destroyers, each carrying two squadrons of superiority fighters and one squadron of Strike Furies, carrying heavier weapons and a tail gunner. They were immediately intercepted by responding Capellan fighters, the closest defenders surprised but quickly converging now that battle was joined.
"Strike squadrons, stay close to the ships, provided close cover for the landing force," Jeffrey Sinclair barked across the airwing frequency, sliding his own squadron from the Alexander into lead position. "All other squadrons, break and intercept any targets."
He opened the throttles, pulling away and up from the destroyer, her flank guns still blasting away at satellites. Most of the armed defense satellites were down for this sector, but there were still a lot of targets, the surveillance and communication satellites relaying accurate targeting data against the task force, for instance. All had to go.
"Hostiles, forty plus, accelerating hard from the surface," his wingman Mitchell spotted. "Mix of medium and heavies."
"All squadrons remember, you have to hit them more than once, keep firing until they go down." Sinclair angled his Fury and dropped some altitude to intercept. "They are well armed, don't wait to evade, and get in close! Use your agility!"
The elite fighters moved as fast as possible. More and more enemy squadrons were being diverted from their patrol sectors to try and keep the Earth Forces busy until reinforcements could be deployed. Right now, Sinclair's squadrons had the numerical advantage, but that wasn't going to last long. He had to exploit it while he could.
"Alpha squadron, we're going for the heavies," he decided. "Remember, multiple hits unless you get close enough to bullseye the pilot. Engage by pairs, after me."
The squadron peeled off one after the other, blue flame spearing out from the main thrusters as each leader and wingman pair broke in sequence and vectored into the approaching targets. The Capellans matched them, loosening their formation and selecting targets before launching missiles and starting the game.
"Alpha Leader, countermeasures."
"Alpha Two, countermeasures."
Sinclair and Mitchell both calmly deployed a mixture of chaff, flares, and electronic decoys to help spoof the wave of inbound anti fighter missiles, then took a few sharp evasive turns to break any radar locks an opponent may have on them. Alpha squadron as a whole had little difficulty dodging missiles, but some of the newer squadrons were less lucky. The first few Starfuries began to drop, three brought down by missiles and another two by lasers, one of them far enough down he was already spinning out of control into the upper atmosphere.
"All squadrons, watch your altitude, atmo deck is damn close and we're not coming back for you! Stay high and don't get spoofed into chasing a target down!"
It should have been a clear part of their training, but the Minbari War had been vicious for the Starfury corps, leaving Earth with either exceptionally good pilots or exceptionally new ones. The scale of this fight meant that while half the force were hardened veterans, the other half were mostly untested, and while their training was good, nothing could prepare a person for that first real battle.
"Alpha Squadron going for the merge. Stick close Mitchell, this is going to be a furball."
"Right with you, Leader."
Sinclair found his target, a hefty bodied fighter that looked like it had more markings and decoration than it's peers. Maybe a squadron leader, maybe an ace, maybe just someone who made the mistake of being noticeable. He vectored around and rushed in from the flank, gravity tugging and jolting him as the fighter veered. A stream of bright tracers whipping past his canopy as someone tried to engage him from the flank. Sinclair noted it but didn't worry, Mitchell would be on it before it became a problem, he just had to zero his own target.
The brightly marked fighter must have spotted him and turned toward him, accelerating and rolling into an evasive break. A good response, but it wasn't going to stop Sinclair. He adjusted slightly, rotated to avoid some additional incoming fire, then from head on put a single shot through the canopy of the heavy fighter.
He fired his maneuvering thrusters and rolled aside, the now out of control fighter skimming under his wings, locked at full burn, Sinclair already lining up on the wingman next, who wisely went full evasive. After seeing his leader downed in one shot, the wingman wasn't going to tangle with Sinclair alone, instead pulling back toward friendly allies. Ultimately, it just meant Sinclair had to fire a few more shots. One through the now easily targeted engines to cut off his escape, one through a wing to make the enemy fighter flip end over end, and as soon as the cockpit came into view, one final shot once again through the canopy.
It was cold. The myth was pilots only killed enemy machines, they didn't aim for each other, but that was before the Minbari War had taught Earth Force to go for the hard kill as quickly and efficiently as possible. Most of the time there wouldn't be a second chance, and those few who lived to tell the tale had rapidly lost any romanticism or shreds of honor. The veteran pilots of Earth Force were the best in the business, but only by becoming as heartless and efficient as the fighters they flew. It wasn't hard when most had seen whole squadrons wiped out around them.
Sinclair quickly found a new target. More Capellan craft were piling into the growing orbital battle, which was costing lives on both sides. It was grim but necessary. If they were fighting out here, they weren't threatening the transports.
"Keep the pressure on them Alpha wing, keep them away from the destroyers."
The Capellan defences were by now responding in earnest. Pilots ran to their fighters, missile silos went through a hasty launch check, and troops across the planet rushed to their assigned posts. Even with a pirate point jump, the defenders were reasonably expecting an hour or two to man their posts and get ready before they had to act. An enemy showing up directly overhead was not part of their training. Never the less, they moved as fast as they could. In several locations, the tiny specks of the warships were visible overhead, ominously lining up over the capital city.
"Hague to fleet: assume bombardment positions, stand by to engage assigned targets."
Each of the five ships were still engaging orbital targets around them, the shell of a broken satellite pancaking into the side of the Alexander and wedging itself there. The gunfire had grown a little less intense as the initial targets had been erased, but they still had to deal with several hostile fighters skirting the Starfury cover and trying to hit the ships on a flank.
"General, sensors have the main Capellan force turning around and burning our way." Hague's aide Major Ryan kept an eye on the screens. "Estimate twenty minutes until contact with the initial waves of fighters."
These had been the forces guarding the pirate point, dozens of dropships and carriers filled to the brim with aerospace fighters and whatever missiles could be loaded. They were going to be a challenge due to their sheer numbers, but the real problem would be if they coordinated their attacks with planet based squadrons.
"Jam their communications," Hague ordered. "Focus on the planet first. Airbases, missile centres, communication facilities, staging areas."
"Set, General."
"Begin firing pattern."
The destroyers had orientated themselves to hold in orbit. They were far too low to sit in geosynch, so they had to keep a periodic burn to maintain their position over the Forbidden city. The Agamemnon and Apollo were still descending, the dropships nestled between the two immense blocks of armed metal, using the sheer mass of the Omegas as a shield. They would both park themselves as low as possible and provide direct fire support for the landing forces, while the other three ships covered them and maintained overwatch.
First, though, the fleet had to clear a path for the dropships, and that meant the removal of anything that looked even slightly threatening. All five ships aligned over the region and turned their forward and lower guns to the planet, the cannons on the upper surface still spluttering at random hostiles that strayed too close.
"Weapons set for area attack, target areas locked. Beginning initial strike pattern."
Simultaneously, the destroyers unleashed their wrath on the planet below, the first strikes targeted against airfields. Lasers fell like red lances of light that touched the ground in a thunderous flash of boiling moisture and melting rock. The lasers had lost a lot of power to the atmosphere, the diffusion and bloom scattering much of their strength, the air itself absorbing their heat, but enough remained to tear up the runways and cook any fighter still on the ground.
Capellan pilots launched as fast as they could, most foregoing full checks, some going full afterburner on taxi ways to get airborne before their base came under devastating fire. Some hardy examples ploughed through the grassy flats in an attempt to avoid the runways, orbital laser strikes melting and splitting the ground around them, leaving deep rents that radiated heat like an oven. Some succeeded in getting airborne, some did not.
"General, ground based ballistic missiles are starting to launch." Ryan kept monitoring. "Marking their locations."
"Switch targets, engage current threats, then return to suppressing the airbases."
"On it, sir."
"Have Agamemnon and Apollo engage their targets as soon as possible. I want operations moving to the assault phase in fifteen minutes or less."
The destroyers altered their tactics slightly. The big laser cannons continued carving away at ground targets, while the secondary turrets switched to intercept mode and engaged the incoming missiles. In their boost phase, the ballistic missiles were still picking up speed as they fought against gravity, making them easy enough targets. The destroyers were keeping ahead of the situation for now, but the problem was they could only hit targets they could see. While bases and defenses around the capital city were being savaged, all of the other facilities shielded by the curvature of the planet were launching their fighters and missiles unhindered, with orders to converse on the aggressors.
"Captain, we are at our assigned altitude." Commander James halted the engines. "Holding station above the Forbidden city."
"Prepare for heavy bombardment. Switch reserve power to the forward plasma cannons."
"Aye sir, switching launchers to plasma mode, full charge in twenty seconds."
The Agamemnon and Apollo rotated downward, setting the front of their ships to face the city below. As they did, so the vast oblong cannons hanging from the chin of the ship began their initiation sequence. Like the other weapons, they would lose a lot of their energy to the atmosphere, but these guns were so vast and delivered such a volume of plasma it didn't matter much.
"Firing solution set, targeting ground based fortifications, defensive batteries, staging areas, and transport links."
"Commence firing."
The two destroyers began a methodical bombardment, great masses of green energized plasma leaving the fixed forward guns in steady bursts. A few at one target before the ship moved slightly to bring another into arc. The other three ships maintained their own precision strikes, swatting missiles and pinpointing bridges to stop a coordinated response, all the while the dropships impatiently waited for the order to go.
On the surface, there was panic, the population fleeing as quickly as they could to the public bunkers, families running with whatever their most easily grabbed possessions were. Children, pets, heirlooms, memories. None had expected this city to be placed under threat, not here on Sian, and not with such suddenness. There was no plan to deal with this, local police and the army funneling and directing the people as best they could.
"What happened to the early warning systems?" Candace demanded as she stormed through the administration officers tied to the palace. "We were supposed to have two to three hours notice!"
"I don't know excellency." A very nervous older man in a badly fitted suit bowed to her, presumably the most expendable of her loyalist team and hence the one sent to absorb her wrath. "We didn't detect them until they were already in orbit."
"Did you know about this?" She jabbed a finger at Jiang, who had stayed close behind her as she rallied her support.
"I'm not a sailor, I can't speak to the specific abilities of our warships." He shrugged. "I do know that this is just the prelude. Do you have enough shelters for these people?"
"Yes, yes, easily, there's the underground metro tubes too." Candace waved away the concerns. "They'll be fine. Will we be fine?"
"Yes, but we have to keep moving." Jiang assured. "There's bound to be a ground assault soon."
"Mistress." The subordinate tried to finish his report. "We have identified three possible locations for the prisoners, we are acting now to secure each of them."
"That will have to be good enough." Candace grudgingly allowed. "Ambassador Sheridan won't be with them. Have my personal guards meet me at the sunken entrance to the Celestial Palace. We'll go rescue him personally."
"At once." The man scuttled away, both pleased and surprised to still be breathing. Candace turned toward Jiang, pausing to gaze out from a window in the office. Beyond the sun was low in the late afternoon sky, the orange haze it created shrouded in distant smoke from the orbital bombardment. Red lines of energy reached down from far above, the distant beams scraping across the land leaving more smoke in their wake.
"I suppose I can use this, it will eliminate a lot of forces loyal to my father." She looked up to see several bright points falling from above like meteors to add to the destruction. "If they are gone, it will reduce resistance to my regime, but if I don't..."
The first of the newer falling lights struck the ground, the heavy plasma bolts releasing vastly more energy than the lasers. It created a dome of fire that instantly removed any low clouds above it and blasted a ring of dust and debris at supersonic speed away from its base. The sheer violence was on a different level to the lasers, the incandescent plasma immolating a forward operating base in the instant it touched the ground.
Candace was caught off guard by Jiang tackling her, roughly grabbing her around the waist and dropping her hard on the floor, knocking the breath from her. A heartbeat after he did so, the window exploded inward in a hail of razorsharp glass and stinging dust, the roar of the explosion all encompassing, its heat stiffening their clothes even at this distance.
"What the fuck!" Candace yelled, dragging herself up and shaking off the dust from her clothes. "You said there wouldn't be nukes!"
"That wasn't a nuke, that was just a plasma shot." Jiang rose up and looked out at the massive pillar of black smoke rolling with red flame. "They're taking out the fortresses, the ground based defenses."
Two more hit fairly close by, once again Jiang instinctively dragging Candace flat as the blast waves assaulted the city, this time stripping away tiles from the roof over their heads, giving them an expanding view of the sky above.
"Are they done?" Candace demanded angrily again pushing herself up to look out of the window, much of the view now obscured in black smoke and fires. There was a loud crash as half a supply truck fell from the sky and went through the roof of an office complex, the vehicle hurled for miles by the force of the explosions. If the lasers had caused panic, the plasma bolts escalated the situation to pure chaos.
"If they are, it means the troops are on the way, which means we need to double time it to the palace," Jiang emphasised. "Are your people ready?"
"They will be."
"Then we better go before this city becomes a warzone."
"Registering good hits on selected targets." Major Ryan correlated the information coming in from the various ships. "We've hit all of the local targets we can. The remaining bases are inside the city and close to civilian centers."
"We'll leave them to the airstrikes," Hague decided. "Where are the enemy space forces?"
"We have a cluster of about seventy missiles crossing the north pole and heading our way," Ryan checked. "A lot of them are probably nuclear. There are also about four hundred fighters coming in from the Pirate point, I'd guess that's the bulk of their response force."
"Then we better do something about it before it becomes a problem. Order Achilles and Athena to load energy mines and engage incoming fighters. We'll handle the missiles."
The trio of escorting destroyers shifted formation again, always continuing to screen the landing ships and staying aware of inbound enemy forces. The Alexander turned to face the forces coming in from the farside of the planet, putting her back to back with her sisters, the warships arming to take on enemies from both directions.
"Athena and Achilles report energy mines loaded, firing."
The Energy Mine was not a human invention. Earth had purchased the technology from the Narn for an extortionate amount of money, and the Omega was the first ship capable of mounting them. Nothing more than a blob of anti-protons launched at the enemy lines and designed to detonate in the midst of a fighter group or missile salvo, they were simple weapons with no real anti-ship ability unless a gunner was good enough to score a direct hit. They worked well as anti fighter weapons for the Narn, but didn't really fit human doctrine that preferred to counter enemy fighters with Starfuries and superlative point defenses. Until, of course, the Minbari had rendered those options almost worthless.
In this case, they were a good way to catch the enemy by surprise. The Capellans were smart enough to know massed attacks were the quickest way to saturate point defenses, so had clustered their units together. It was logical and would have made life very difficult for Sinclair's pilots, but put them at a severe disadvantage against energy mines.
The two escorts fired a pair of mines each, the shimmering orbs of energy racing out to arrive in an equal distant pattern, exploding around the enemy formation so the blastwaves converged in the center. The Alexander waited a little longer before firing, timing her attack to strike the much closer targets at the same instant as the more distant weapons. The Alexander had a slightly more difficult task. The incoming hostiles were much closer and their proximity to the planet made targeting more difficult.
Both sets detonated together, bright flashes of light followed by a wall of antiprotons that doused the nearby craft in antimatter. It wasn't a hefty amount of anti protons, not enough to immediately vaporize a target, but it was enough to annihilate the outer surface of everything it touched. The composition didn't matter, missile or fighter, anything exposed to the wave of antimatter sparked and flashed way. Secondary explosions as fuel and munitions cooked off finished the job, gutting the massed fighter and missile formations.
Despite the tremendous and unexpected level of destruction, there were still plenty of Capellan fighters left, some shorn of their outer fuselage armor and sporting swathes of pitted and cracked damage across their hulls. They pulled back to regroup, the strike buying some time, but also ensuring the Capellans wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
"That should make them think twice." Hague was clearly pleased with the result. "Status of the ground defences?"
"Successfully destroyed or suppressed, General."
"Give the go order to the landing ships." Hague at last gave the order. "Then assume a defensive position above the city and brace for a renewed attack."
"Aye sir, sending the word."
The Agamemnon and Apollo moved aside, clearing the way for the cluster of dropships to begin their journey and begin the main phase of the mission. Aerospace fighters, mostly in bright Dragoon colors but with a few AFFS craft mixed in, began launching one after the other, edging forward on thrusters to take screening positions ahead of the assault.
"Wolf to all units, move into drop position and begin initial de-orbit burn." Jaime performed final checks on his venerable Archer, the old mech still formidable in the right hands. "This will be a fast drop, expect a lot of turbulence, don't spare the retro burn because we won't have a lot of aerobraking."
"Jump jet units are first out the door once we reach safe speed," Natasha added. "Clear the initial Landing Zone and wait for reinforcements. Once we are down, pure aggression people, we are outgunned, outnumbered, and isolated. Our best weapon is going to be fury."
"Nobody has seen an attack like this since the reconquest of Terra, and you can bet there is a damn good reason for that," Jaime tied things up. "If anyone in the galaxy can make this work, it's us. Let's all go become legends. Fighters ahead, dropships begin powered descent."
The spherical and oblong craft fired their engines, taking them away from the shelter of the two destroyers, both still maintaining a steady rate of fire from all weapons. Even from orbit, it was possible to see the smoke around the city below created by burning bases and airfields scattered around the outskirts. In the near distance, fighter squadrons still battled, the Earth Force Starfuries gradually falling back as more and more Capellan craft piled in. The escorting destroyers were still mostly untouched, sometimes firing on a fighter that came too close or spitting out some pulse fire to intercept an inbound missile. It was a beautiful sight, if one didn't know that each flash was an act of destruction, a life potentially ending.
By far the most amazing sight was a coruscating green aurora in the upper atmosphere around them, Sian's magnetic field catching high energy particles left from the Alexander's energy mines in a gleaming display visible across the hemisphere, even in the early evening light. It gave the landing an eerie feeling, the interior of the dropships illuminated milky green as they passed through the aurora and started buffeting against the sky itself.