United They Stand

An History of Diplomacy in the Galactic cluster from the Dilgar War to the Goa'uld Interregnum, by Master Krel'nor of Chulak

For various reasons (previously explained), the League almost didn't help the humans during the Year of Despair. The Drazi had sent a fleet to assist Earth at the first hour, but this fleet was destroyed in jumpspace (by unknown attackers). The League races took in human refugees at the beginning, but stopped when the Minbari sent fleets to threaten their homeworlds.

The reasons of the League not helping Earth were basically division between League races, annoyance with humans, fear of Minbari retaliation, fear of Centauri and other powers taking advantage of the situation. Moreover, the League didn't realize immediately that the majority of the Minbari warriors wanted to exterminate humans. They thought the Minbari would simply "punish" the humans like they did to the Garmak or the Streib.

It was, ironically, the Minbari who advocated the human cause to the League. When the League realized the war was a genocide, they reacted with horror. Merely fifteen years ago, the Dilgar had tried to genocide them all... and the humans had saved them.

Moreover, the Minbari acted like bullies. When they bombed human planets or slaughtered civilans, they killed League citizens (millions of them lived in the Alliance) as well as humans. They destroyed any civilian ship, including League ships who were there for trade, evacuating League citizens or taking in human refugees. They shot Abbai and Hyach diplomatic ships out of the sky. They threatened the League homeworlds. And the Minbari were doing that while predenting they were more civilized than anyone else. Last but not least, the Minbari had refused to help against the Dilgar (even when their old allies, the Markab, were threatened).

The Dilgar War (with its sheer panic) had failed to unite the League. The Minbari humiliations succeeded, because they made the League realize how weak it was. And when the Minbari were defeated at Myoto and during the Nine Systems Campaign, the League citizens celebrated it for days in their streets.

The Anti-Piracy Fleet

After the Dilgar War, humans had rebuilt the League infrastructure, brought food, water and medicine, and policed League space against the pirates.

While the Alliance was culturally and economically imperialistic (creating much annoyance), the Peace Fleets were necessary. Even the most anti-human people in the League realized how useful they had been, when they were gone.

In August 2245, there was an emeregency summit at Tirrith. The League powers had to find a solution of their own, to prevent massive piracy from returning (or Narn and Centauri aggression).

The League created the Anti-Piracy Fleet, made up of ships from member races. It was unprecedented. Even during the Dilgar War, there hadn't been an unified command (until the humans joined and took command themselves). The APF would be autonomous from individual governments, commanded directly by the League from Tirrith. Officers would be promoted for their merits regardless of race.

The APF was mostly made up of Abbai, Hyach, Vree, Yolu, Markab, Cascor, Onteen, Balosian, Gaim and Descari ships. Other races either engaged in piracy themselves, or didn't want to spend money to police space (when others would do it for them). Brakiri declined to participate (at first) because of those two reasons, for example.

The Ipsha, Kor-Lyans, Torata, Llort, Brakri and Drazi were the most problematic members regarding piracy. The Drazi tended to raid everyone. The Llort considered stealing from others okay if you gave something of equal value in return. The Kor-Lyans and Ipsha civil wars pushed them to raid the trade of their rival clans. The Torata were openly taking advantage of the situation for imperialism and piracy.

The Abbai used their friendship with the Drazi (who had an enlightened leader, Stro'kath) to convince them to stop their piracy. Stro'kath didn't forbid piracy (that would have been political suicide). Drazi pirates were, however, quietly encouraged to join the Terran Alien Legion or the Anti-Piracy Fleet, with promises of money and glory. Soon, most of them had joined. The few remaining Drazi pirates got killed by APF patrols soon. So, Drazi pirates simply went nearly extinct in a few years.

The Llort Protocols allowed them to do their "take and give" ritual, forcing alien captains to accept, but putting strict rules on the process.

The Abbai convinced the Kor-Lyan and Ipsha clans to stop their civil wars in exchange for helping each clan settle a new planet and giving technology. Those new colonies were inhabitable or semi-inhabitable planets. Basically, since the clans weren't able to live together, they would live separately.

Brakiri piracy was mostly quelled through a combination of force and money. Brakiri pirates acted only for money, and not for glory, nationalism, hatred of some other race or clan... like most of the other pirates did. In a way, they were simpler to deal with. Between money and death, they would choose money.

Of course, those efforts to solve the Llort, Kor-Lyan, Ipsha, Brakiri and Drazi took years of diplomacy, bribery and patrols. Only the Torata problem could not be solved diplomatically. Not only the Torata piracy was skyrocketing, but the Torata themselves were openly invading Earth Alliance (along with the Ch'lonas and Koulani). Which brings us to the first success of the APF.

In February 2246, the League wanted to help the Earth Alliance without risking Minbari retaliation. Moreover, the League wanted to prove that the APF was a serious and efficient intiative.

It was mostly seen as political posturing everywhere. Never before the League governments (or most of them) had actually united. The Centauri and Narn were still tempted to take advantage of the League (supposed) weakness. The Drazi, Brakiri, Ipsha, Kor-Lyans and Llort needed to see the APF would seriously fight piracy (from anyone), to accept to change their ways. They needed the carrot, but also the stick. Finally, the Torata openly disregarded the new League policies (despite being officially members).

The answer to those problems was Operation Natar. The APF was deployed to Torat, Ch'lon, Koula, and their colonies, with overwhelming numbers. Torata, Koulani and Chl'ona fleets had already been weakened when Earth launched Tsar Bombas against them. The APF destroyed entirely the fleets, orbital defence networks and military ground-based infrastructure of the three races, leaving them virtually defenceless. Of course, the Torata were also excluded from the League, with all their assets frozen.

The "vulture" problem that had plagued Earth was neatly solved. Even the Minbari didn't really mind. The Minbari may have hated humans with passions, but they also hated miserable vultures taking advantage of their holy crusade and would have dealt with them after the war.

Operation Natar showed that the League races could work together (including in military matters). Soon after, the Brakiri, Llort, Ipsha, Kor-Lyans and Drazi accepted the proposed deals and even sent ships to the APF. Many pirates from those races even joined the APF (ending their pirate career).

The Red Cross Convoys

The other initiative taken by the League, after the Nine Systems Campaign, was the Red Cross Convoys (started in March 2246). Those convoys were to bring food and medicine to Earth and her colonies (alleviating the rationing), and take in refugees. They would be made up of cargo ships, escorted by military ships.

Not all League members participated. Abbai, Vree, Cascor, Hyach, Markab and Onteen were the main contributors, the others lacking either the will or the means.

The Convoys had orders to avoid (as much as possible) fights with the Minbari, and fire back only if there really was no other choice. Of course, captains and crew members were chosen for being level-headed (no one wanted a repeat of the Jankowski fiasco).