Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction ❯ Soldier, Sailor, Jedi, Sith ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 9 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Maj_Scooter 
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.24.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 539 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.24.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 539 | Status: Completed
Deep within Imperial-held space, bulk freighters slipped into Imperial Navy boneyards. Warships sat in mothballs, just waiting for them to be acquired. Some, like the Victory II-class Star Destroyers, virtually brand new, were mothballed in favor of the Imperator-class Star Destroyers. Others, like huge quantities of Dreadnoughts, were deemed either obsolescent or antiquated by the Imperial Starfleet's purchasing office. But all of them were still fully operational. A few freighters even managed to slip into various Kuat Drive shipyards and slip off with a couple or four Imperator I-class Star Destroyers, eventually losing the pursuing Imperial forces to superior and recklessness navigation.
The bulk freighters docked with their target ships, and the crews aboard them rushed on to their target vessels. Resistance was nonexistent, and the Imperial warships slowly came back to life. They slipped out of the boneyards singly and in pairs, towards a rendezvous deep within Wild Space.
Other freighters and passenger liners met the warships there, and transferred crew, passengers, and supplies. Survivors from Chel Nasin, survivors from other planets that met similar fates, idealists and dreamers, aliens and retired Navy personnel became crewmembers. Ten early production X-wings somehow found their way to this fleet that was being raised along with Clone Wars-vintage ARC-170 snubfighters and were being based on the Star Destroyers.
With the fleet stocked and assembled, the rebel warships proceeded from the nebula they were hiding in. Once clear of the nebula's boundary, the ships began their runs up to lightspeed, heading for a stable wormhole, accidentally discovered by the Rebellion, in the Zelos Sector.
00000
"Ranma, do you trust me?" Setsuna asked her husband on a spring morning at breakfast. That piqued the interest of the other Outers, and caused even a mild reaction in Ranma—he raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you ask," Ranma questioned. "Suna, we've been married since after Christmas, you've fought by my side against Bastet and Darth Kuno, until you were unable to."
"Because there's something I want to show you," she replied. She levered herself out of her chair, and gripped her husband by his shoulder. She looked at the other Outers. "We'll be back later," she said in an even tone, and the two of them disappeared.
Ranma looked around at the cavernous space before him as best he could. The Palace's power grid was in total disarray after Beryl and Metalia's attacks on the system 30 thousand years ago; so there were very few multi-million candlepower floodlights functional, creating dim and dark recess. The air was stale, like an unopened tomb's; the couple's breath coalesced before them in the frigid temperatures.
The royal airdocks beneath the Tycho Crater were empty; the snubfighter bays were likewise empty. The facility could easily support a fleet of sufficient size to combat the one that was supporting Bastet. But the biggest problem was getting that fleet. Building the ships would take too long; training the crews would take even longer to make them a coherent fighting force. And Earth didn't have the capabilities to provide the advanced construction materials for such a fleet. As it was, NASA and the other space administrations thought that chemical fueled rockets were sufficient for low-earth orbit at this time. He looked at his wife, as he leaned against the guardrail. Even with gravity 1/6th of Earth normal, a fall from the rail would be fatal. "Suna-chan, why did you show me this?"
"Ranma, like it or not, you are the only one even remotely qualified for this task," she replied. "The Senshi have never fought with subordinates before. You, on the other hand, fought in the Clone Wars, led troops loyal to the Republic, and won decisive battles, without relying too heavily on clonetroopers. Usagi wants you to lead the fleet in the defense of the Earth."
Ranma leaned against a railing. "Suna," he said, "my 'decisive battles' were Force-inspired recoveries of near-disasters that I picked up from a non-Jedi general who had been fired from his position. Before that, I spent more time in the background, running infiltration and sabotage teams, designed to set the Separatists' planets aflame. My group was the Special Operations Executive, and we reported only to the Jedi Council, not the Senate, not Palpatine.
"Besides, I've never led a decisive fleet engagement. That's why the Republic had admirals. I was always planetside."
"I know that Ranma," Setsuna said, almost pleading. "I also know where your troops have been hiding from the Empire."
"Troops are one thing, Setsuna. What about ships? Bastet's got a fleet of twenty six warships backing her up. And the majority of those are Star Destroyers. Hell, in fact almost all of them are. The Empire didn't feel the need to permanently assign any smaller ships to chase after me. No, just twenty Imperator and Victory-class Star Destroyers, a handful of Dreadnaughts, and one Interdictor. And don't forget that the Impstars and Vicstars house fighters, that's at least a wing of fighters per ship."
Ranma was playing Devil's Advocate to Setsuna's line of reasoning, and everything was quite logical. "Now, let's say you manage to find twenty Vicstars and an equal number of Dreadnaughts for us to play with. You're looking at 30 thousand crewmembers per Vicstar, 20 thousand per Dreadnaught. That's a million men to feed, house, clothe, train, and entertain. And reinforcements? That's another half-million men. Where are we going to put them? On Earth? It'd take too long to get them back to their ships in the event of an attack, and somehow, I don't think that Terran governments would suddenly want a million and a half new citizens. Here? I saw the Palace grounds when we got here. This place is trashed, Setsuna."
Setsuna looked at her husband. His arguments were valid, but she had thought this through, to the end. And this was the only way to win the fight that was brewing between the future Crystal Tokyo and the Empire. She smiled at him, with her patented "I'm so cool, liquid nitrogen can't melt in my mouth" smile. "Those were the very same arguments I brought up to Usagi, when I told her what would happen if we were to defeat Bastet and Kuno. But I also mentioned to her that the Palace computer has a built-in repair feature that can only be activated by a command station on the moon. By the time our fleet gets here, we'll have sufficient enough quarters for them. And, yes Ranma, you will have a fleet. While you've been teaching at Juuban, teaching Makoto and the rest of the Senshi to be better warriors, I've been talking with your old comrades in arms."
"I should have known," Ranma said, "you'd do something like this. You do realize that we're going to have to get this planet united behind us, Setsuna. It wouldn't do to have an enemy base in our rear area."
Setsuna smiled. "I know anata. That's why you'll be going to New York, to talk to the United Nations."
"You aren't serious, are you?"
"I am serious, anata," Pluto replied. "You are meeting with the General Assembly in two days. Just be yourself, and you'll be fine. I've already asked the Prime Minister to vouch for your credentials, on behalf of the Republic and the Silver Millennium."
"And if they ask for concessions, like warships?"
"Tell them we'll have enough starships for them in two months."
"And if the Empire decides to attack before we're ready?"
"Then the future that we've seen will come true. And we're up a creek without a paddle."
000000
On a small terrestrial planet, orbiting Alpha Centauri A, Admiral Criofan's fleet had established a forward operating base. Requests for additional repair and logistical support facilities were actually heeded. Several field deployable asteroid mining facilities were just beginning operations, and stockpiles of raw materials were being assembled. After consultations with his engineers and Bastet, Admiral Criofan decided to hunker down and prepare for the potential for siege. This gave the Catian Sith lord time to try to recruit and train allies on Earth, as well as giving Ranma and the Senshi time to build their forces up.
The Imperial Starfleet had provided the Admiral with all the necessities of war, including field brothels, recreation facilities, repair yards, bulk carriers full of munitions and food, and tankers loaded with fuel. Palpatine had evidentially given his blessing to expand the Empire into an extra-galactic entity. Formations of Star Destroyers were busy mapping local space, providing the Imperial forces on the small planet with much needed navigational intelligence. Probe droids were liberally spread throughout the region, after the scouting expeditions left, to provide long-term tactical and strategic intelligence.
Another indication of the Emperor's favor for extra-galactic expansion came through the artificial wormhole—one of the precious few Super-class Star Destroyers, the Revenge. This 19 kilometer long behemoth was a fleet unto itself, and nigh invincible. Almost a thousand weapons batteries covered the surface of the warship; scores of TIE fighters flew from her fighter bays. And worst of all, a legion of stormtroopers to carry out the ground assaults. Admiral Criofan immediately transferred his flag to the Revenge, upon her arrival into the Alpha Centauri system.
00000
Ranma paced in an antechamber off to the side of the General Assembly, his Jedi robes swishing with each step. He was nervous. Public speaking had never been his strong point, and now here he was about to try to convince the planet Earth to unite to defeat an extraterrestrial threat. The irony of the situation—an extraterrestrial trying to warn the Earth of a threat from outer space. The door to the antechamber opened, and one of the ushers stuck his head in. "Master Lim? The General Assembly will see you."
"I will either convince them to unite, or I will not," Ranma said quietly to himself. "'Do, or do not. There is no try.'" The reborn Jedi Master could almost feel the presence of the wizened Jedi Master, as he walked through the door. His confidence restored, Ranma strode into the main chamber of the United Nations building, and walked to the dais.
"Madame Secretary General, Honorable Ambassadors, Honored Heads of State, and the citizens of the planet Earth, I bring you greetings from the Galactic Republic, and warning of dire times ahead. My name is Ranma Lim, and I hold the ranks of Master in the Jedi Order and General in the Grand Army of the Republic.
"The Republic was a galaxy spanning government that encompasses over a hundred million star systems and trillions of sentient beings in, not to sound trite, a galaxy far, far away. During a very credible threat to the safety of the Republic, the very democratic processes that the Jedi were established to protect and uphold were usurped by a tyrant who declared himself 'Emperor', and swept away all who would stand in his way, including the Jedi Order. I may very well be the last Jedi alive, and for that simple fact, I may very well have placed this planet in grave danger." There were murmurings from the assembled ambassadors and heads of state in the Assembly chambers.
Undaunted, Ranma pressed on. "The Empire, as the Republic is now called, would not hesitate to lay this planet to waste, just to capture or kill me. They have hunted down my friends and colleagues, enslaved sentient races for their war machine, destroyed planets that haven't agreed with the Empire's methods. They are ruthless, and would not hesitate to add this planet under their regime. Or destroy it.
"The Emperor is ruthless beyond any reason. His evil makes the despots of Earth's history; Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, the emperors of Rome, pale by comparison."
The ambassador from the People's Republic of China stood. "If what you say is true, General, then this 'Empire' is a vastly more technologically advanced than we are. For us to defend ourselves against them would by like ants attacking a person."
"That, Mr. Ambassador, is a very valid point. Allies of mine, including former soldiers under my command, are currently enroute with a fleet of warships. For Earth's assistance, and as the core for an Earth Defense Force, I am willing to provide the technology and training for this branch of the human race to move out into space."
"So General," the US ambassador drawled in his deep Southern accent, "by the time your vessels get here, it wouldn't make a difference one way or the other."
Ranma smiled. "As I said, the fleet is already on their way here, and should be arriving within the next two months. Since their star charts of this galaxy are over 30 millennia old, they need to recalibrate their charts every few days, to account for stellar drift."
"So where are we going to house this fleet of starships? We don't have any real permanent orbital facilities on the scale that you would need."
"That is correct. And we will come to that juncture when the fleet arrives. But you needn't worry about it." Even though it wasn't an outright lie, it was truthful. The airdock under the Tycho Crater would be the fleet's new home. And the near-Earth asteroids would make for sufficient initial mineral resources to begin constructing new and better orbital facilities. Plus the smaller ships and the fighters could be used to clear out the orbiting junk that was low Earth orbit.
"General Lim," another ambassador asked, "what would you require of us? Besides setting aside our differences and uniting under one banner."
"If my allies were unable to get sufficient numbers of personnel to effectively man their ships, we would require able-bodied personnel in sufficient numbers to provide full compliments as well as a reserve pool. That information I will have when the fleet arrives, however, my best estimates lean towards one and a half million soldiers. I know NATO and the Russian Confederation have those numbers of men, as does the People's Liberation Army. I would like to reiterate that this is a global threat, and that this is a planet that I've come to call home.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I urge you to act on this with haste. The Empire may well be establishing forward bases in this system even as we deliberate. Once they do, it will become almost impossible to remove them without a high cost in casualties.
"I will leave you to your deliberations, and may the Force be with you." With that, Ranma turned and walked out of the main assembly hall.
While Ranma was leaving the United Nations, for the penthouse suite the Japanese Embassy provided for him, the other end of the wormhole flared to life, in a sector near the Ceti Alpha star system. The first few ships, Corellian corvettes, made the first tentative moves into the Milky Way, like hounds sniffing out a scent, before the wormhole cycled again. More ships emerged into this new galaxy, expanding the foothold this rebel fleet had. With the appearance of the four Imperator-class Star Destroyers, the fleet was fully formed, and ready to jump to lightspeed. Ancient Silver Millennium star charts were updated by the navigational computers, taking into account several eons worth of stellar drift. With the proper courses laid in, the fleet ran up to lightspeed, and began heading for their new home world.
00000
"Ranma," Setsuna called, while her husband was in the shower, "I think you ought to see this." She heard the water slow to a stop, and saw her husband come out into the sitting room of the suite, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"What's so important that it couldn't wait until after my shower?"
"This," she replied, gesturing to the television.
The screen showed the Oval Office, with the President sitting behind his desk. "My fellow Americans; an historic precedent has been set today. We are no longer alone in the universe. It was announced today at the United Nations in New York City that there is a very credible threat to the safety to this planet. Under more normal circumstances, we would assume that global warming or ozone layer, or some other mundane reason would be the cause for concern.
"Today, it was revealed by General Ranma Lim, Ambassador-in-exile from the Galactic Republic; that the threat to our planet is from a tyrannical Galactic Empire, hell bent on universal domination.
"When the Founding Fathers declared our independence from the British Empire, they pledged their fortunes, their honor, and their lives to ensure that an independent nation would be born on these shores. It has been said that if 'we don't stand together, we'll certainly hang separately.' I would be remiss in my oath of office and my duty to this planet not to support the resolutions calling for the creation of an Earth Defense Force and unification of the planet under the banner of the United Nations, as the very existence of this Galactic Empire threatens not only our existence as a sovereign planet, but the existence of other, possibly inhabited planets in our galaxy, that we as a people can reach out to and form alliances and trade agreements with.
"I call on our allies, our friends, and yes, even our enemies, to put aside our petty, terrestrial differences and support any and all resolutions that call for the formation, staffing, and support of an Earth Defense Force. We are all inhabitants of this planet Earth, and if we don't stand together, we'll certainly hang together.
"Good night; and God Bless."
Ranma sat down on the couch. "Well, that was interesting. I just hope that President Whitmore can pull off uniting the planet under the banner of the United Nations."
The bulk freighters docked with their target ships, and the crews aboard them rushed on to their target vessels. Resistance was nonexistent, and the Imperial warships slowly came back to life. They slipped out of the boneyards singly and in pairs, towards a rendezvous deep within Wild Space.
Other freighters and passenger liners met the warships there, and transferred crew, passengers, and supplies. Survivors from Chel Nasin, survivors from other planets that met similar fates, idealists and dreamers, aliens and retired Navy personnel became crewmembers. Ten early production X-wings somehow found their way to this fleet that was being raised along with Clone Wars-vintage ARC-170 snubfighters and were being based on the Star Destroyers.
With the fleet stocked and assembled, the rebel warships proceeded from the nebula they were hiding in. Once clear of the nebula's boundary, the ships began their runs up to lightspeed, heading for a stable wormhole, accidentally discovered by the Rebellion, in the Zelos Sector.
00000
"Ranma, do you trust me?" Setsuna asked her husband on a spring morning at breakfast. That piqued the interest of the other Outers, and caused even a mild reaction in Ranma—he raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you ask," Ranma questioned. "Suna, we've been married since after Christmas, you've fought by my side against Bastet and Darth Kuno, until you were unable to."
"Because there's something I want to show you," she replied. She levered herself out of her chair, and gripped her husband by his shoulder. She looked at the other Outers. "We'll be back later," she said in an even tone, and the two of them disappeared.
Ranma looked around at the cavernous space before him as best he could. The Palace's power grid was in total disarray after Beryl and Metalia's attacks on the system 30 thousand years ago; so there were very few multi-million candlepower floodlights functional, creating dim and dark recess. The air was stale, like an unopened tomb's; the couple's breath coalesced before them in the frigid temperatures.
The royal airdocks beneath the Tycho Crater were empty; the snubfighter bays were likewise empty. The facility could easily support a fleet of sufficient size to combat the one that was supporting Bastet. But the biggest problem was getting that fleet. Building the ships would take too long; training the crews would take even longer to make them a coherent fighting force. And Earth didn't have the capabilities to provide the advanced construction materials for such a fleet. As it was, NASA and the other space administrations thought that chemical fueled rockets were sufficient for low-earth orbit at this time. He looked at his wife, as he leaned against the guardrail. Even with gravity 1/6th of Earth normal, a fall from the rail would be fatal. "Suna-chan, why did you show me this?"
"Ranma, like it or not, you are the only one even remotely qualified for this task," she replied. "The Senshi have never fought with subordinates before. You, on the other hand, fought in the Clone Wars, led troops loyal to the Republic, and won decisive battles, without relying too heavily on clonetroopers. Usagi wants you to lead the fleet in the defense of the Earth."
Ranma leaned against a railing. "Suna," he said, "my 'decisive battles' were Force-inspired recoveries of near-disasters that I picked up from a non-Jedi general who had been fired from his position. Before that, I spent more time in the background, running infiltration and sabotage teams, designed to set the Separatists' planets aflame. My group was the Special Operations Executive, and we reported only to the Jedi Council, not the Senate, not Palpatine.
"Besides, I've never led a decisive fleet engagement. That's why the Republic had admirals. I was always planetside."
"I know that Ranma," Setsuna said, almost pleading. "I also know where your troops have been hiding from the Empire."
"Troops are one thing, Setsuna. What about ships? Bastet's got a fleet of twenty six warships backing her up. And the majority of those are Star Destroyers. Hell, in fact almost all of them are. The Empire didn't feel the need to permanently assign any smaller ships to chase after me. No, just twenty Imperator and Victory-class Star Destroyers, a handful of Dreadnaughts, and one Interdictor. And don't forget that the Impstars and Vicstars house fighters, that's at least a wing of fighters per ship."
Ranma was playing Devil's Advocate to Setsuna's line of reasoning, and everything was quite logical. "Now, let's say you manage to find twenty Vicstars and an equal number of Dreadnaughts for us to play with. You're looking at 30 thousand crewmembers per Vicstar, 20 thousand per Dreadnaught. That's a million men to feed, house, clothe, train, and entertain. And reinforcements? That's another half-million men. Where are we going to put them? On Earth? It'd take too long to get them back to their ships in the event of an attack, and somehow, I don't think that Terran governments would suddenly want a million and a half new citizens. Here? I saw the Palace grounds when we got here. This place is trashed, Setsuna."
Setsuna looked at her husband. His arguments were valid, but she had thought this through, to the end. And this was the only way to win the fight that was brewing between the future Crystal Tokyo and the Empire. She smiled at him, with her patented "I'm so cool, liquid nitrogen can't melt in my mouth" smile. "Those were the very same arguments I brought up to Usagi, when I told her what would happen if we were to defeat Bastet and Kuno. But I also mentioned to her that the Palace computer has a built-in repair feature that can only be activated by a command station on the moon. By the time our fleet gets here, we'll have sufficient enough quarters for them. And, yes Ranma, you will have a fleet. While you've been teaching at Juuban, teaching Makoto and the rest of the Senshi to be better warriors, I've been talking with your old comrades in arms."
"I should have known," Ranma said, "you'd do something like this. You do realize that we're going to have to get this planet united behind us, Setsuna. It wouldn't do to have an enemy base in our rear area."
Setsuna smiled. "I know anata. That's why you'll be going to New York, to talk to the United Nations."
"You aren't serious, are you?"
"I am serious, anata," Pluto replied. "You are meeting with the General Assembly in two days. Just be yourself, and you'll be fine. I've already asked the Prime Minister to vouch for your credentials, on behalf of the Republic and the Silver Millennium."
"And if they ask for concessions, like warships?"
"Tell them we'll have enough starships for them in two months."
"And if the Empire decides to attack before we're ready?"
"Then the future that we've seen will come true. And we're up a creek without a paddle."
000000
On a small terrestrial planet, orbiting Alpha Centauri A, Admiral Criofan's fleet had established a forward operating base. Requests for additional repair and logistical support facilities were actually heeded. Several field deployable asteroid mining facilities were just beginning operations, and stockpiles of raw materials were being assembled. After consultations with his engineers and Bastet, Admiral Criofan decided to hunker down and prepare for the potential for siege. This gave the Catian Sith lord time to try to recruit and train allies on Earth, as well as giving Ranma and the Senshi time to build their forces up.
The Imperial Starfleet had provided the Admiral with all the necessities of war, including field brothels, recreation facilities, repair yards, bulk carriers full of munitions and food, and tankers loaded with fuel. Palpatine had evidentially given his blessing to expand the Empire into an extra-galactic entity. Formations of Star Destroyers were busy mapping local space, providing the Imperial forces on the small planet with much needed navigational intelligence. Probe droids were liberally spread throughout the region, after the scouting expeditions left, to provide long-term tactical and strategic intelligence.
Another indication of the Emperor's favor for extra-galactic expansion came through the artificial wormhole—one of the precious few Super-class Star Destroyers, the Revenge. This 19 kilometer long behemoth was a fleet unto itself, and nigh invincible. Almost a thousand weapons batteries covered the surface of the warship; scores of TIE fighters flew from her fighter bays. And worst of all, a legion of stormtroopers to carry out the ground assaults. Admiral Criofan immediately transferred his flag to the Revenge, upon her arrival into the Alpha Centauri system.
00000
Ranma paced in an antechamber off to the side of the General Assembly, his Jedi robes swishing with each step. He was nervous. Public speaking had never been his strong point, and now here he was about to try to convince the planet Earth to unite to defeat an extraterrestrial threat. The irony of the situation—an extraterrestrial trying to warn the Earth of a threat from outer space. The door to the antechamber opened, and one of the ushers stuck his head in. "Master Lim? The General Assembly will see you."
"I will either convince them to unite, or I will not," Ranma said quietly to himself. "'Do, or do not. There is no try.'" The reborn Jedi Master could almost feel the presence of the wizened Jedi Master, as he walked through the door. His confidence restored, Ranma strode into the main chamber of the United Nations building, and walked to the dais.
"Madame Secretary General, Honorable Ambassadors, Honored Heads of State, and the citizens of the planet Earth, I bring you greetings from the Galactic Republic, and warning of dire times ahead. My name is Ranma Lim, and I hold the ranks of Master in the Jedi Order and General in the Grand Army of the Republic.
"The Republic was a galaxy spanning government that encompasses over a hundred million star systems and trillions of sentient beings in, not to sound trite, a galaxy far, far away. During a very credible threat to the safety of the Republic, the very democratic processes that the Jedi were established to protect and uphold were usurped by a tyrant who declared himself 'Emperor', and swept away all who would stand in his way, including the Jedi Order. I may very well be the last Jedi alive, and for that simple fact, I may very well have placed this planet in grave danger." There were murmurings from the assembled ambassadors and heads of state in the Assembly chambers.
Undaunted, Ranma pressed on. "The Empire, as the Republic is now called, would not hesitate to lay this planet to waste, just to capture or kill me. They have hunted down my friends and colleagues, enslaved sentient races for their war machine, destroyed planets that haven't agreed with the Empire's methods. They are ruthless, and would not hesitate to add this planet under their regime. Or destroy it.
"The Emperor is ruthless beyond any reason. His evil makes the despots of Earth's history; Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, the emperors of Rome, pale by comparison."
The ambassador from the People's Republic of China stood. "If what you say is true, General, then this 'Empire' is a vastly more technologically advanced than we are. For us to defend ourselves against them would by like ants attacking a person."
"That, Mr. Ambassador, is a very valid point. Allies of mine, including former soldiers under my command, are currently enroute with a fleet of warships. For Earth's assistance, and as the core for an Earth Defense Force, I am willing to provide the technology and training for this branch of the human race to move out into space."
"So General," the US ambassador drawled in his deep Southern accent, "by the time your vessels get here, it wouldn't make a difference one way or the other."
Ranma smiled. "As I said, the fleet is already on their way here, and should be arriving within the next two months. Since their star charts of this galaxy are over 30 millennia old, they need to recalibrate their charts every few days, to account for stellar drift."
"So where are we going to house this fleet of starships? We don't have any real permanent orbital facilities on the scale that you would need."
"That is correct. And we will come to that juncture when the fleet arrives. But you needn't worry about it." Even though it wasn't an outright lie, it was truthful. The airdock under the Tycho Crater would be the fleet's new home. And the near-Earth asteroids would make for sufficient initial mineral resources to begin constructing new and better orbital facilities. Plus the smaller ships and the fighters could be used to clear out the orbiting junk that was low Earth orbit.
"General Lim," another ambassador asked, "what would you require of us? Besides setting aside our differences and uniting under one banner."
"If my allies were unable to get sufficient numbers of personnel to effectively man their ships, we would require able-bodied personnel in sufficient numbers to provide full compliments as well as a reserve pool. That information I will have when the fleet arrives, however, my best estimates lean towards one and a half million soldiers. I know NATO and the Russian Confederation have those numbers of men, as does the People's Liberation Army. I would like to reiterate that this is a global threat, and that this is a planet that I've come to call home.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I urge you to act on this with haste. The Empire may well be establishing forward bases in this system even as we deliberate. Once they do, it will become almost impossible to remove them without a high cost in casualties.
"I will leave you to your deliberations, and may the Force be with you." With that, Ranma turned and walked out of the main assembly hall.
While Ranma was leaving the United Nations, for the penthouse suite the Japanese Embassy provided for him, the other end of the wormhole flared to life, in a sector near the Ceti Alpha star system. The first few ships, Corellian corvettes, made the first tentative moves into the Milky Way, like hounds sniffing out a scent, before the wormhole cycled again. More ships emerged into this new galaxy, expanding the foothold this rebel fleet had. With the appearance of the four Imperator-class Star Destroyers, the fleet was fully formed, and ready to jump to lightspeed. Ancient Silver Millennium star charts were updated by the navigational computers, taking into account several eons worth of stellar drift. With the proper courses laid in, the fleet ran up to lightspeed, and began heading for their new home world.
00000
"Ranma," Setsuna called, while her husband was in the shower, "I think you ought to see this." She heard the water slow to a stop, and saw her husband come out into the sitting room of the suite, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"What's so important that it couldn't wait until after my shower?"
"This," she replied, gesturing to the television.
The screen showed the Oval Office, with the President sitting behind his desk. "My fellow Americans; an historic precedent has been set today. We are no longer alone in the universe. It was announced today at the United Nations in New York City that there is a very credible threat to the safety to this planet. Under more normal circumstances, we would assume that global warming or ozone layer, or some other mundane reason would be the cause for concern.
"Today, it was revealed by General Ranma Lim, Ambassador-in-exile from the Galactic Republic; that the threat to our planet is from a tyrannical Galactic Empire, hell bent on universal domination.
"When the Founding Fathers declared our independence from the British Empire, they pledged their fortunes, their honor, and their lives to ensure that an independent nation would be born on these shores. It has been said that if 'we don't stand together, we'll certainly hang separately.' I would be remiss in my oath of office and my duty to this planet not to support the resolutions calling for the creation of an Earth Defense Force and unification of the planet under the banner of the United Nations, as the very existence of this Galactic Empire threatens not only our existence as a sovereign planet, but the existence of other, possibly inhabited planets in our galaxy, that we as a people can reach out to and form alliances and trade agreements with.
"I call on our allies, our friends, and yes, even our enemies, to put aside our petty, terrestrial differences and support any and all resolutions that call for the formation, staffing, and support of an Earth Defense Force. We are all inhabitants of this planet Earth, and if we don't stand together, we'll certainly hang together.
"Good night; and God Bless."
Ranma sat down on the couch. "Well, that was interesting. I just hope that President Whitmore can pull off uniting the planet under the banner of the United Nations."