Delivery and Battle
Those who were observing the goings on at Babylon 5 were treated to the sight of Earth Force shuttles landing on the planet and then, shortly thereafter being launched. The shuttles would enter the Hyperion and then, after a time, relaunch.
There were a few launches which also landed on the other ships in the system including the Agamemnon, the Roanoke, and the Agrippa. During this lull, the two Omegas that had originally gone out with the Agamemnon had returned. It was obvious to the watches that these two were taking over the local patrol.
A few of the launches also traveled between the Earth Force destroyers and the Station.
An enterprising free agent learned of the flight plan and it soon became leaked: The Destroyer Group would travel three days total, pausing at intervals which would allow them to change out the squadrons.
The Ha'tak would stay in system as it had since it had arrived during the invasion. It did receive a transport of its own – the Goblins had arranged for a fuel shipment through dimensional connections to top off their supply.
The Hatak also made a trip out to the gas giants further out in the Epsilon system. When one of the Babylon staff members asked, it was stated that they were picking up hydrogen.
In truth, the Ha'tak had traveled a distance away from local sensors and back to help set up what was coming.
When the "preparations were nearly complete" the Ha'tak made one more trip out toward the distant gas giants and then returned – sans one Al'kesh. The Goa'uld transport was now traveling at interstellar speeds toward the Alexander, which would be on the other side of Saturn. General Hague would pick up the Al'kesh and transport it to Earth.
Observers saw the Ha'tak return from its foray to the outer planets – and then they saw the convoy of Earth ships jump out. The Agamemnon was leading, the Hyperion came next, and the Agrippa and Roanoke followed. Around the four ships were a plethora of Star Furies to provide screening. The Hyperion was, if anyone was calculating (they were), slightly more sluggish. Even a ship with no artificial gravity had to obey the laws of physics and an additional almost 3000 tons would affect its mobility. And so the watchers reported to those they worked with that the gold shipment was on its way.
Vice Admiral Sheridan listened to his seconds report and said, "Okay then. Tell the other ships that we will be using the local jump gate to Point Alpha."
"Yes, Sir!"
Confirmations soon came in. The four ships traveled into the vortex.
The three Omegas and the Hyperion found themselves in the Markab system. Sheridan had heard reports about what had happened to the Markab. A plague had overrun them and in a very short time the whole species had gone extinct. Sheridan had picked this as Rest Point Alpha specifically to cause trouble for anyone who was trying to use it.
"Order the Star Furies to ensure that there are no ships nearby. Once we are secure, the Star Furies patrols will change out in the agreed upon rotations."
The stopover was less than an hour long. And although they were very watchful, they saw no signs of any pursuit or interference.
The entire Destroyer group was somewhat relieved to make it back to hyperspace with no conflict. Even though they were trying to close a trap, no soldier truly wanted to fight if they didn't have to.
Sheridan nodded. "Get me on with the other ships." As soon as they were linked up, Sheridan spoke. "Okay. Rest Point Alpha was a no go. That means that Rest Point Beta will be the point where things will likely be hot. We're going to move a little off the beacon as though we are trying to travel undetected. Hyperion, your nav system isn't as advanced as an Omega's and so you will need to stay linked up to your escorts. Honestly, I'm not worried that you can't make it – but we're still putting up a front for anyone tracking us. Does anyone have anything they need to report?"
"No, Sir." "No, Admiral." "No, Admiral Sheridan."
"Good. We will link up in 22 hours before we jump to Rest Point Beta."
"Understood," was chorused out.
Marek was sitting with Draal. "Okay. What is the status?"
Draal replied, "It is as we've expected. The Shadows are amassing a fleet for the second stop. There is no sign that the Al'kesh is even being pursued. The Alexander is on its way to the rendezvous."
Marek sighed in relief. "Good. I want to interfere as little as possible. How is the tachyon field progressing?"
"The Babylon 4 mission should be able to be launched in two weeks. Have you inquired about the shield generators?"
Marek replied with a smirk, "The generators are almost finished. The gravity drives are also near completion. We won't have time to do extensive testing but Goblins are quite efficient when they are focused. They should have them ready on time. The blueprints I helped liberate were quire useful in the planning."
Draal nodded. "Let's hope there are no surprises."
Marek nodded in agreement. "I just wonder how an evacuation could be sped up as needed."
Draal considered that. "Those cabinets that the Wizards and Goblins use – they hold much more than a ship can carry. Can they be used?"
"They still have to be transported. To move from place to place you would use …" Marek's eyes opened widely. "I can't believe I forgot about that. I need to see Ragnok's deputy." He stood up and left the room.
Draal watched him curiously. "I'm sure he'll explain when he has time."
Marek made his way to the cart system. Despite being able to move at will, he didn't always cheat. He didn't want to become complacent or have those he dealt with become complacent. And so he was rapidly being taken to the construction site.
When he arrived, he asked for Bloodtooth, who was overseeing the construction. He was allowed to enter the inner office. "Marek. Welcome. You need something?"
"Do you still have the capability to create vanishing cabinets?"
The Goblin grinned. "Unlike wizards, we do not lose track of our secrets so easily. Although it is rarely done, we do have masters who can create such. Why are they needed?"
Marek said seriously, "When the Shadows come for Babylon 5, we need a faster and safer evacuation route than trying to fill up escape pods and transports. We're going to need to move a few thousand people – tens of thousands – in a very short amount of time."
"Where will you move them to?" he asked.
Marek smirked. "Remember that job we're preparing for? I want to have them on Babylon 4. However, I don't know where Babylon 4 will be – or if it will be close enough. We need to test if we can use a pair of cabinets between the surface of Epsilon 3 and the station. If it works, I would like to have the final personnel take as many cabinets with them as possible so that we will lose a minimum of pairs. It will be much simpler to move cabinets to Babylon 4 to allow a quick exit than moving thousands of people up from the surface. We also need to test if a pair of cabinets can work between two stars or if they need to be closer."
Bloodtooth nodded thoughtfully. "We need to have ward stones or crystals to act as magical storage – I don't think the cabinets on the station will be able to draw magic for use there."
Marek shrugged. "You're the expert. But if you could please start the process – we have two weeks before we go and get Babylon 4. And I don't anticipate Babylon 5 lasting too much longer past that."
"We will begin work immediately."
Neroon looked at the space where the were now located. He was, in fact, a bit awed – though he would never show it. "You say that these ships will have the power of a Shargoti?"
"At least. With smaller ships, we will be able to put more power to the weapons. The majority should be complete within a month. The first ones will be done very shortly."
"I would like to visit one of those that are near completion."
Delenn agreed. Arrangements were made.
The Al'kesh did not have the interstellar speed that the Ha'tak would have had. Instead of a day, the Al'kesh took longer.
The Alexander arrived at Saturn.
"Inspection complete, General. The local sensors are all operating at peak efficiency. The local station is reporting no difficulties."
Hague nodded. "Very good, Major Ryan."
"Should we prepare for our next jump?" As far as the crew were concerned, they were inspecting the defenses in the Sol system to ensure that the Shadows could not launch any surprises.
Hague smirked. "Actually, no." He looked at his second in command. "I want you to plot a course around to the other side of Saturn." He looked at the chronometer. "I would like to arrive there in twenty minutes. Inform the Churchill and have her follow us."
Major Ryan knew that a look at the other side of Saturn wasn't in the original plans, but he was loyal to his commanding officer. "Right away, sir." He turned and gave out the orders and then turned back. "We will arrive in 18 minutes."
"Good. Good."
In due course, they arrived on the far side of Saturn. "Computer. Connect with sensors 640 to 696 and reroute their alerts to this ship only." The Bridge staff watched the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs curiously. What were they here for?
"Security Authorization required."
Hague reached out and punched in his code. "This is General William Hague. Serial number M27X46-Lambda. Security code: Pegasus."
"Authorization accepted. Rerouting alerts to local control."
Major Ryan looked at his boss curiously. Hague nodded. "We are waiting for a package from Admiral Sinclair."
"What kind of package?"
"You'll see. Scan for anomalies. I am ordering radio silence. We have an hour or so to wait."
"Yes, Sir."
The crews continued on their duties. Even stopped, there were things that had to be done and the crew was efficiently doing them. After a while, however, one of the bridge crew and the Alexander called out. "Sir! We have a small ship that appeared approximately 200,000 klicks toward deep space. Sensors are all reporting in."
Ryan called out, "Identification?"
"Size and silhouette match Tau'ri Al'kesh."
Major Ryan turned to Hauge who smirked a bit. "Open a narrow-beam laser link on the following frequency." He rattled off a few numbers.
"Channel open!"
"This is the Earth Alliance Ship Alexander. Identify yourself."
A voice came through in reply. "This is Commander Ivanova from Babylon 5. I have the package."
"Commander Ivanova, this is General Hague. Any problems?"
The cheerful reply came back, "No, sir! I think we got away clean. I have the delegation aboard and the Captain has ordered the pilot to prepare for docking."
"We've cleared out a space on our main deck for you. According to what we received, we should just make it."
"Yes, Sir. As soon as we are landed and the deck is sealed, I will prepare for your arrival."
"Good. I'll see you soon." He motioned to cut off the connection. He stood up and spoke to his second. "As soon as that ship is on board, return the sensor grid back to normal alert status and then jump. Make toward Earth Beacon 11629. The Churchill will continue as escort. I will be greeting our guests."
"Yes, sir!"
"You have the Conn."
William Hague made his way through the ship to the transport tube. Because the docking bays were outside of the rotating section, they had no gravity. This required the transport to move through the center.
He locked himself in the harness and prepared for it to start. As soon as the transport arrived, he launched himself, as those who were used to zero gravity did, to the entrance and toward the handholds on the wall. As this was not an Earth Force ship arriving, two security guards accompanied him for his protection.
They waiting outside the bay watching for the indicators to tell them it was safe while they slipped on the space boots which would allow them to walk on the deck without flying off. A short time later, the green light lit up and the bay door opened.
The three Earth Force personnel made their way to the large transport sitting on their decks. It was 15 meters tall – half again taller than a normal Earth Force shuttle. It was also much longer. It took up a large section of the deck.
Soon, the group was waiting near the ship. Just like the old science fiction vids from the 20th century, an opening appeared from somewhat underneath and a ramp descended.
General Hague was a bit surprised to see Commander Ivanova moving to the head of the ramp as though she was walking normally. That meant that there was gravity in the transport – very unusual for such a small ship.
Hague and his escorts moved to the ramp, their space boots clicking on the deck. Once they reached the ramp, they started walking up. Ivanova called, "Stop halfway and then we'll bring the ramp up. Prepare for gravity."
Hague and his escorts stopped just after a line marked on the ramp which indicated that this was the end of the ramp when it was retracted. As the ramp ascended, they felt the odd sensation of lifting into a gravity field rather than a gradual increase of gravity.
With Ivanova were Orin Zento, the Earth Dome rep, the captain of the transport whose uniform included what looked like chain mail, and several of the Goblins. One was dressed in a very high quality suit reminiscent of Earth from the late 1800s. The guards were dressed with some type of armor as well.
Ivanova and Hague stopped across from each other and saluted. Hague said, "Permission to come aboard."
Ivanova looked over at the captain of the transport who replied, "Granted."
General Hague then greeted the important looking Goblin. "Hello, War Leader Ragnok. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Earth Force, I welcome you to the Sol system."
"Thank you. I look forward to completing our business."
Hague turned to Zento. "Mr. Zento. How are you doing?"
Zento gave a smile which was only somewhat forced. "It's been an interesting trip. Although things were not as we were expecting, it was quite … educational."
Hague nodded, hiding his smirk. "I understand." He turned back to Ivanova. "Do you have any additional information for me?"
"I've been ordered by Admiral Sinclair to provide a report directly to you and President Luchenko regarding the intelligence we've gathered. I would like to arrange a meeting around the various meetings between the delegation and yourselves."
Hague nodded thoughtfully. "I am certain we can work you in. I look forward to the reports."
"Thank you, Sir."
The captain of the Al'kesh spoke up. Normally, he would not take the title of Captain but he was working with the Tau'ri and understood their eccentricities. "General. Would you like a tour of our ship?"
Hague looked at the alien, who had a design branded on his forehead which reminded Hague of something – he couldn't recall immediately – and replied, "I will enjoy that. Give me a moment." Hague activated his link. "Hague to the Bridge."
"This is the Bridge. Go ahead."
"How are things progressing?"
"The ship will jump in approximately two minutes. We will make the Earth beacon one hour later."
"Very good. Tell Major Ryan I will be returning to the Bridge by the time we reach the beacon. I am being given a small tour and then I will come back."
"Yes, sir."
"Off."
He turned to Ragnok. "I believe that we need to make arrangements to transfer you to an Earth shuttle so as not to attract attention. Will that be a problem?"
Ragnok gave a Goblin grin. "No. We will have a few crates that my guards will bring. In addition to your Commander Ivanova and Mr. Zento, there will be eleven in my party – 6 to carry the crates and 2 personal guards. In addition, our partners have sent an Auror and a Slayer as guards to assist us as well. There are four more from Babylon 5 who will be operating the moving equipment. I assume that there is an area ready?"
"There is a secure bunker below Earth Dome that has been emptied according to your specifications. We have a company of Earth Force Marines who will be guarding the room – and so will be heavily armed. Is there any issue with that?"
Ragnok laughed lightly. "I would think you were very stupid if you did not have such guards regardless of how secure your Earth Dome is, so: No, I have no issue with that. I do require that any who are in the room while we empty our crates to sign confidentiality agreements regarding what they see. After it has been transferred and the receipt given, the Auror, Slayer, and four Babylon 5 crewmen will be free to do as they wish until we leave. Commander Ivanova has said that these would have at least three days of furlough."
Hague nodded in agreement. He had no problem with that. And he was perfectly willing to have the marines who were in the room sign agreements. And while Hague was an honorable man, there were some who were less honorable. There would be some highly disappointed and angry members of Earth Force Internal Affairs Division (Eyes) who would attempt to interrogate the personnel. Those personnel would, somehow, forget what they had seen within the room – or at least couldn't speak of it or even think of it. This is what the contracted telepaths would report.
It took half an hour from the time that the Alexander and its escort, the Churchill, jumped into Earth Orbit for the shuttle carrying the delegation to be on its way to the special facilities which Earth Alliance used to deliver things to Earth Dome directly.
Due to the declaration that Earth was officially at war, security was very tight. Ragnok's shipment was passed only on the basis that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was personally escorting it.
Ivanova's briefcase was also allowed through as it contained only papers and data crystals.
A contingent of heavily armed Earth Force Marines surrounded the smaller party of Goblins through the corridors to the secure bunker. General Hague input his security codes and opened the door. The cavernous room behind was quite empty.
Ragnok looked around. "This will do. This will do nicely." He turned. "Pick those you wish to have within the room. Commander Ivanova has already signed our non-disclosure agreement, along with the Babylon 5 personnel we brought. As has Mr. Zento." This last was said with a smirk.
General Hague consulted with the Marine Captain who was leading the Marines. He picked himself, a lieutenant, a sergeant-major, and a first sergeant. Ragnok opened his own briefcase and presented the forms. He allowed them sufficient time to review. They understood that diplomatic security was involved, which would force them to keep what they saw to themselves.
Each signed the contracts. When the last was signed, the Earth personnel present were shocked when the contracts lit up briefly. Exact duplicates appeared.
"What was that?" Hague asked.
"Security method of a proprietary nature. The documents are now unable to be changed. Those signing must, according to our laws, receive a copy."
The personnel accepted the copies and folded them into a packet which they each placed in an inside pocket of their jackets.
Soon, everyone had left except Zento, Ivanova and her people, and Ragnok and his people. The four marines who had signed waited and watched. The Marines watched curiously as the goblins picked up the various trunks and then walked toward an area near a blank wall. The first trunk was laid on the ground. Ragnok went over and, taking a small knife from his pocket, cut his hand and placed blood on the trunk.
The Marines looked at the Auror standing with him who said conversationally, "Blood lock. Only Ragnok can open these."
The Marines were further shocked when the trunk, which appeared to be five foot by 2 ½ feet, suddenly enlarged until it was ten feet tall and also was suddenly 20 feet wide. A large door was visible on the front. Ragnok moved to the door and turned a key in a lock. He then moved back. The large door lifted up like an old-Earth garage door.
The Marines were further shocked to see four cargo-movers visible behind the door. The Babylon 5 personnel moved forward and started up these movers. They drove them further inside. The Marines were then treated to the sight of the various cargo moves coming out moving platforms that appeared to be filled with gold and silver bars.
It took quite a while, but when the unloading was done, the Marines inside looked upon a room that was filled to the brim with gold and silver – tonnes and tonnes of it.
Ragnok had shrunk each cabinet when it was empty, the last one with the four cargo movers still inside. The Marines were further agog when the trunks, instead of being returned to their original size, were shrunk even further until they fit within the pouch one of the Goblin guards was wearing.
Ragnok then nodded to Orin Zento who was, himself, a bit overwhelmed at the sight of so much wealth. Orin went to the door and opened it. General Hague had been waiting outside. With him was a man with a scanner to ensure that what was within the room was real.
Everyone watched as the expert methodically went through every pallet and every pile. When he was done he returned to General Hague. "I can report that according to my analysis the material within the room is, as reported, 5 nines fine gold and silver. According to my calculations, there is exactly 1400 tonnes of gold and 1400 tonnes of silver."
Hague turned to Zento. "And this was the agreed upon delivery amount?"
Zento nodded. "According to the treaty worked out and which Senate Leadership agreed to, the price was 1400 tonnes of gold and 1400 tonnes of silver. We also have the agreements which already contain Ragnok's signature as well as my own which will be activated once the receipt is signed. The treaties will then be ready for Senate confirmation."
Hague asked the assessor. "Is there any reason I should not sign the receipt?"
"None that I know of, General."
"Good." He watched Ragnok pull out a piece of parchment and hand him what looked like an old Earth quill. "Ink?"
"This quill will actually use your blood. This quill may only be used in contracts. The small scratches will heal very quickly."
Zento lifted his hand. "I used one – and after a day you can't even see the injury."
Hague nodded and then signed the receipt. Ragnok accepted it and put it into his briefcase.
"We are done then."
Hague then passed off the Goblins and those with them to a functionary who would arrange for their accommodations. The goblins were taken to a high-end hotel where they were given rooms which were comfortable enough. The State department had provided security as was expected.
After the Goblins had left, Hague kept Ivanova behind outside of the room. Zento stayed with them. Curious, she looked at her boss's boss. "You'll see," Hague said with a smile.
Very soon, the President herself and a security detail came to the bunker. Hague opened the door again and, once the security detail ensured there was no one waiting inside, President Luchenko, General Hague, and Susan Ivanova went alone back into the room.
President Luchenko looked at the extremely large amount of wealth that was piled up in front of her and said, "черт возьми!" (Holy shit!")
Susan, who was Russian herself, replied, "Красивый вид, не так ли?" (Quite a sight, isn't it?)
President Luchenko turned to Ivanova and replied in English, "Yes. Quite a sight."
Hague asked Ivanova, "What did she say originally?"
Ivanova looked at the President, who was smirking, and back to Hague. "Sorry, Sir. She's the President – and a Russian woman. If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you."
Hague chuckled. "Now you sound like my wife when I've done something to upset her and I don't know what it is."
Ivanova grinned. "It's a conspiracy, Sir. Something you men have to live with." Luchenko laughed out loud at that in agreement with the Commander.
General Hague took the comment with the humor intended and then became serious. "You seemed to want to speak to the two of us alone. Now would be the best time."
Ivanova looked around and then pulled out a small device and, turning it on, placed it one one of pallets of gold. "Just in case." Both nodded – they knew exactly how "secure" a "secure room" really was: Only as secure as the observers allowed. The device would prevent electronic observation.
Ivanova pulled out two chains from her pocket. One, made of white gold, held a Suppedaneum cross. She handed this to the President. The other, a slightly more masculine necklace with a different symbol.
"Put these on immediately. Ragnok's people have placed what they call enchantments on them which will prevent anyone from scanning you. Any telapath who tries to scan you will receive back a little noise – as though you are intentionally shielding from them. Mine," she pulled out her own necklace with the Star of David, "was one of the originals which just blocked any mental intrusion. Bester seemed to notice that he couldn't scan us. This one will give every indication that your ability to be immune to mental scans is natural talent."
Hague's eyes widened slightly, even as Luchenko just looked at the Commander – she was a politician and was even more guarded than a military officer. Hague said, "Clever. And religious jewelry is an exception to the Military Dress Code. What is this one?" he asked even as he started loosening his collar. Luchenko quickly followed suit.
Commander Ivanova smiled. "That was Admiral Sinclair's contribution: St. Ignatius of Loyola, one of several Patron Saints of soldiers."
"Appropriate," he said as he closed the clasp and dropped it down the front of his collar. Ivanova helped the President put hers on.
"When I give my report, we're going to need to have a Psi-Corp rep present. Personally, I can't stand Psi-Corp due to family history – something regarding my mother. This way, you are protected."
Luchenko carefully ensured her outfit was back to normal. "Спасибо, командир." (Thank you, Commander.)
"Добро пожаловать, госпожа президент." (You are welcome, Madam President.)
Ivanova picked up the signal blocker and, turning it off, put it back into her pocket. General Hague said, "And they didn't give any more information on how they got the gold and silver to Epsilon 3?"
Ivanova grinned briefly at the misdirection and Luchenko only showed a miniscule eye twitch in response. "No, sir. It's all a big mystery. All we know is that before they went down there, they didn't have it. And then, after the negotiations, they did."
The three had started walking and at that moment reached the door. Hague opened it.
"Well, Commander. Thanks for what you could tell me. I'm sure the information will be quite interesting to some of our people."
"Yes, Sir."
Luchenko stopped and said to Ivanova, "Thank you, Commander, for escorting our guest and his delivery. You will be put into an apartment within Earth Dome used for temporary military visitors. General Hague will ensure you are informed when the debriefing will take place."
"Yes, Madam President. Thank you, Madam President." The woman nodded and moved off back to her office, her security following along after her.
Sheridan was watching carefully as the Destroyer group was at their second stopping point. They had moved away from the gate, as was standard protocol, and were in the middle of swapping out their Star Fury escorts.
Suddenly, a female bridge officer called out. "Admiral! We're getting something – several ships have suddenly appeared!"
"Put it on screen!" He watched as the screen was now filled with several large battle crabs. There were also two near the gate to prevent them from running.
Up until that moment, no one had attempted to use telepaths and the Shadows would not know that they were on board. As a result, there was not an escort of any type beyond the large ships."Red Alert! All Personnel to battle stations! This is not a drill! Base formation Lambda!"
Acknowledgements came in. The four ships moved slightly so that they there were one ship facing in each direction. The Omegas could shoot out their rear guns but not their front as the mine launchers would be active. Each ship faced in different direction to maximize the ability to launch mines and use the rear guns as needed.
Sheridan watched as the ships approach. "This is Vice-Admiral Sheridan. Have your telepaths start jamming their ships. Fighters, take point. When they get within attack range, break and attack! Any ship that shows sign of being interfered with – use mines!"
One of the capital ships launched something which didn't look like a beam. Sheridan's eyes widened as he realized it was a mass of mines. "Mine, now!"
The Omega launcher threw two mines directly at the mass. As soon as it got close the mass of mines from the Shadows tried to break apart but the fact that it was a mine and not a beam weapon caused the mass to explode prematurely. A couple of Shadow vessels were actually caught up on the explosion.
One of the Shadows got closer and then started to fire its beam. Suddenly, it stopped dead. Bester, on board the Hyperion, had locked onto it. "Fire at that ship," Bester said, his voice strained. Captain Pierce called out, "Fire!"
The beam from the Hyperion (one of that class which had been upgraded since the Earth-Minbari War) caught the battle crab full force. Fire from the side guns from a couple of Omegas added to that and the crab was destroyed.
The other Shadow vessels started moving more frenetically.
One of the vessels got above the Destroyer group and fired down, it's weapon hitting the Roanoke. Suddenly, that ship also stopped and because there was no mine launcher pointed close enough, the combined plasma guns from the various ships had to concentrate on it. Several Star Furies added their firepower. The crab was tough – but it finally succumbed. One of the Omega's changed it position to attempt to point up and down as well.
The Omegas were powerful and their missiles were very effective. The missiles could be sent much faster from the launchers but the missile banks could fire directly from where the banks were located on the sides of the ships. They did not move as fast but with the crabs being affected by telepaths it was quick enough.
Sheridan was a savvy enough battle commander that the group had destroyed seven of the eight battle crabs that had been brought to bear. One of them had run – most likely to report that the Earth ships had figured out their weakness.
Any other group of ships would have suffered much more loss. The Omegas were not invulnerable, but they were effective. The Hyperion had been lucky in that the Shadows had not directly attacked her until they were convinced that they would not be able to capture the shipment. By then, several crabs had been lost and the Omegas were able to protect it sufficiently the keep it from being destroyed. Every Earth Force destroyer suffered damage, though. The Roanoke had actually been rendered inoperable – the ship had been abandoned.
Casualties would number over two hundred between the four ships, the vast majority from the Roanoke. One of the Minbari telepaths on the Roanoke had also lost their life. But they had won. As soon as they had secured the lifepods and shored up their damage sufficiently, the three remaining ships made their way to the Sol system to lick their wounds and prepare for the next encounter.