I wasn't there when the dream died.
I spoke before the Grey Council with the fire of my heart and the force of a thousand years of prophesy, and in the end I -- alone -- convinced them. I raced back to Babylon 5 full of determination and the righteous belief that this time we would join with the Forces of Light and this time -- this time -- together we would prevail.
I was wrong.
He's gone. They all are. And the blame can rest only upon my shoulders and my heart.
-----------
"Jump points forming. "
Sheridan glanced up at Corwin, meeting the young lieutenant's eyes. Corwin re-checked his readings. "Here they come..."
The jump point bloomed just 70 MU away from the station. The Earthforce Omega-class destroyer and its escort of three Hyperion-class heavy cruisers stormed out of hyperspace, surrounded by an angry swarm Starfuries.
"This is Captain Smith aboard the Agrippa. You are ordered to stand down your weapons and surrender your command at once."
Sheridan punched the comm panel. "Come on Captain, you have to see these are illegal orders. We don't have to do this!"
"Captain, they've broken off the transmission!"
Sheridan paused. "Alright. Major Ryan, Captain Hiroshi, move to intercept. Launch all fighter squadrons. We didn't start this, but by God we'll finish it!"
----------
"Alpha Squadron, form on my wing."
Ivanova checked her tactical heads-up display. "Engage the rear two cruisers, the Alexander and the Churchill will take the lead one."
As if in response to her call, fire blossomed from the Alexander's forward beam battery. "Direct hit! Alexander, I'm seeing secondary explosions; it looks like you damaged her beam system!"
The reply was tense, but almost smug. "Acknowledged, Alpha Leader. There's more where that came from!"
Ivanova couldn't help a slight grin as she set up her approach to the middle Hyperion. Just as she and her squadron darted around to the cruiser's starboard side for the attack, the Churchill added her contribution to the destruction. The beleaguered Hyperion fired back at the Alexander, but only scored minor damage.
Damn, the Alexander's hit. But it looks like she's shrugged it off. "Here we go, watch those interceptors." The Starfuries dived directly toward the hapless cruiser, lasers blazing as they skimmed the surface of the ship.
"Yee-hah! Look at that Commander!" Ivanova swung her fighter around to prepare for her next pass and saw the massive secondary explosions her wingman had indicated. "Looks like we got a lot of her major systems that time!"
"Good, but don't get cocky, she's still in this." Ivanova glanced at her tactical again. "Delta Squadron, how are you doing with that other Hyperion?"
"They know they've been in a fight, Commander! She's lost a few major systems. She fired at the Alexander, but didn't seem to do much damage. I've got screening fighters all over me, though!"
"Alright, stay with it. Wait... I show three more Omegas jumping in! Alpha Squadron, let's get this buttoned up in a hurry."
----------
Captain Sandra Hiroshi was the picture of calm as she sat in her command chair aboard the Churchill. "Status, lieutenant."
"We're okay, ma'am, but the middle Hyperion is coming down our starboard side. She'll be in range in 10 seconds."
"Divert some of our fighters to engage the lead Hyperion. Forward beam weapons at the Agrippa. Target starboard pulse batteries on that middle Hyperion and fire." The Churchill's heavy beam weapons lashed out at the still-distant Omega but did little damage. As the Hyperion swung into range, however, the pulse batteries poured energy into the already damaged cruiser.
"She's hit! Fires on all decks! She's going to blow!"
Hiroshi activated the comm panel. "Churchill to Valhalla, get to your life pods! There's still time!"
"...too late. We can't r..." A blinding explosion cut off the transmission.
Hiroshi's emotions danced between joy and sorrow at the destruction of the ship. She sighed. "Major Ryan, that lead Hyperion is closing on B5. Can your fighters assist?"
"I'm sorry Captain, my fighters are engaged in a major furball. Maybe we can convince Smith in the Agrippa that he needs the support. Standby."
Molten lightening erupted towards the Agrippa from the Alexander's main battery, while pulse battery fire raked across the trailing Hyperion. Explosions ripped throughout the Hyperion, but the gods of war chose to smile upon the Agrippa, sparing it any damage. The Hyperion was not without its revenge, however, as its forward batteries inflicted minor damage upon the nearby Churchill.
"This is Sheridan. Delta Squadron, engage that lead Hyperion before she can break through our defenses. We'll see if we can't distract them with our own weapons."
"Understood, sir."
The fighter pilots broke off their attack and drove at full thrust toward the heavy cruiser, inflicting minor structural damage to it, but not before it could do the same to Babylon 5's Green and Brown Sectors.
"Captain Hiroshi! Incoming fire from the Agrippa!" The bridge shuddered as secondary explosions tore through the inner bulkheads.
"Damage control, report!"
"It's bad, Captain. We're doing the best can, but we can't take much more of this!"
----------
Chaos reigned.
No less than three individual dogfights, each with dozens of fighters, were underway in the narrowing space between Babylon 5 and the oncoming destroyers. B5 fighters continued to harass the trailing Hyperion, while Ivanova and her squadrons desperately tried to take down the Agrippa. The Churchill's own fighters had fallen back to protect the endangered ship. Her own anti-fighter batteries had taken out an entire squadron of enemy fighters, yet many more remained. Churchill managed to score a minor hit on the Agrippa, but was herself struck by another penetrating blow, this time from the Roanoke. Babylon 5 took up its own defense and engaged the heavy cruiser which had managed to overtake the station. The Hyperion shuddered as devastating firepower punched through its hull like it was paper. Even though wounded, the cruiser valiantly returned fire, causing still more damage to B5's Green and Brown Sectors.
The tide of battle swayed from side to the other. Ivanova and her Starfuries scored major damage on the Agrippa, destroying several internal systems. There was no time for joy, however, as the Gorgons, one of the newly-arrived Omegas, fired a blast which destroyed most of the Churchill's major systems. Trying to cover her wounded comrade, the Alexander fired into the Agrippa, adding more damaged internal systems to Alpha Squadron's efforts. Fate, though, is a fickle mistress. The Apollo, the second Omega of the late arrivals, again damaged the Churchill, leaving it seconds from total destruction.
But it was not yet Captain Hiroshi's turn to die. Enemy fighters swarmed over the Alexander's hull, destroying systems in their wake. The badly damaged trailing Hyperion then managed a hit - which was enough to break the crippled Alexander in two.
The Alexander died in a cataclysm of molten metal.
----------
Sheridan turned away from the viewscreen, his emotions welling up inside.
"Captain! Four groups of breaching pods have launched from the rear Omegas!"
"Understood, Lieutenant. Security, prepare to repel boarders."
Garibaldi's voice was somehow reassuring. "I'm on it."
"Alpha and Gamma Squadrons, engage those pods."
"Yes sir!"
"Message coming in, Captain... It's the Agrippa."
"Babylon 5, I repeat my order: you are to surrender your command immediately." Smith punctuated his message with a shot at B5 - fortunately a clean miss.
"Let them eat static. Where's the Churchill?"
"Firing at the Roanoke, sir. She hit, but only minor damage. Sir! Another hit to Green Sector from the lead Hyperion!"
"Return fire!" Sheridan stormed across C and C to Corwin's station.
"A hit! But not much damage. Commander Ivanova reports ten of twelve breaching pods destroyed by her group, but eleven survived Gamma's attack. Sir, that last Hyperion looks to be taking an attack position."
Sheridan shook his head. "She's too damaged to be much of a threat, target the Agrippa."
"Aye, sir."
It would be Sheridan's last command. Seconds later,
the ignored Hyperion unleashed a deadly barrage of beam fire which
tore through B5's Green Sector. The explosion triggered a catastrophic
chain reaction.
The last of the Babylon stations flared brightly
for one final moment, and was gone.
---------
When we finally arrived at Epsilon 3, our task force of three warcruisers and the new White Star found nothing but floating debris and a single, heavily-damaged Starfury belonging to Susan Ivanova. She is alive, but terribly injured. Our physicians say that she will heal.
Can any of us say the same?
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Babylon 5: Earthforce Sourcebook is a copyright of Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment and WireFrame Productions, Babylon 5 and characters are trademarks of Warner Bros., no challenge to their copyrights is intended.
Article ©1999 Keith Watt
All rights reserved.