From sachs@knuth.mtsu.eduSun Mar 17 21:17:50 1996 Date: Wed, 28 Feb 1996 15:28:30 -0600 (CST) From: Zaxxon Reply to: b5-creative@blob.best.net To: Babylon5 Creative Mailing List Subject: DESTROYERS Chapter 1: Preparations Part 1 Hi all, Comments, feedback, flames, etc are welcome. Email address is placed strategically at the bottom. The NEW and IMPROVED ... Destroyers Chapter 1 --- Preparations --- Part 1 of ?? Written by Shaule Sachs std_disclaimer.h: Zaxxon Hunter and other original characters are copyrighted. Destroyers (c) 1996, Shaule Sachs Babylon5 and B5 characters are JMS's but we're just playing through. std_setting.h: [Author's Note: This is my first Babylon 5 story I have written, so feedback is important. Words between *'s are to be considered to be emphasis and bold. Words between /'s are to be considered to be stressed and italics. Words between <<'s and >>'s are translations (since I'm not multilingual). Words between /*'s are thoughts. Words between ['s represent notes from the author, like this is.] ===== [Minbar: Council Chambers; 1260's Terran Common Era (TCE)] "We won the War," exclaimed Neron. As the youngest Minbari present, the others looked on him with something akin to amusement. In addition to Neron, there were ten other Minbari present along with a quiet Vorlon and a stranger wear a black robe who could not be seen easily. The Vorlon's face darkened at Neron's pronouncement and looked at the older Minbari whom the others were looking at too. "/We/ did *not* win a war, Neron, but merely a battle in a greater struggle," came the voice from Black Robe. They called him "Black Robe" since the very robes that he wore were as black as night. "What? I don't understand Black Robe," Neron exclaimed as the Vorlon shook it's head sadly. "We drove the Darkness away. The Shadows are gone," Neron continued. "Gone yes, but not destroyed," Black Robe said gently. Neron's young face had a hurt look to it. Neron knew that Black Robe knew more than any of the others did, except possibly for the Vorlon. The two, the Vorlon and Black Robe, seemed like opposites side of the same coin. Where the Vorlon gave off a white light. In contrast, Black Robe seemed to be in a shadow even though both the room lights and the Vorlon's bioluminescence made the room appear as in the noon day light. Neron had heard some stories about the mysterious Black Robe. Stories that called the mysterious stranger by another name, Star Hand. /* One cannot have a hand that looks like the night sky */, thought Neron. But the important point that Neron remembered as he looked upon the trio standing before him for Black Robe was a friend of older Minbari that had called them here. "And it is about the War and the future that I called you nine here," the Minbari's voice took on a very serious tone to it. The others in the room had been watching the exchange between Black Robe and the young Neron returned their attention to the old Minbari. "We will hear Valen," Neron intoned formally, followed by the other eight Minbari. "Why are we here, Valen?" demanded Dara of the Star Riders feeling that her time would be better spent with her troops, not with the others. "My time here is growing to a close," informed Valen calmly. The others gasped, some tried to deny Valen's words, but a look from Valen silenced them so he could continue. "I have asked you here to prepare for the Future of the Minbari race," he paused a moment. Pointing to each as he called their names, "Neron, Raal, and Linon are of the Religious Caste, Dara, Ruka, and Fira of the Warrior Caste, and Gira, Jino, and Delon of the Workers Caste." In a formally voice that the others had not heard Valen use often, "From each of the three castes, three people will represent the Castes, together these nine will lead the People until my return." "What?" asked Linon startled. "Where are you going?" asked Ruka. "As I said, my time here is short. It is time for me to go on," Valen paused. "Remember the Words and Visions I told you. When the time comes, I will return," So saying Valen walked out of the Chamber followed by the stranger in the black robe and the Vorlon. Neron tried to follow them but was stopped by a flash of light. Neron turned to the others and in an awed whisper said, "Valeria has taken Him /home/ . . . " ****************************** [Earth Orbit; October 21, 2248 TCE] "What if they don't take the bait?" 'That is one of the reasons we are here.' "And the other? ..." ' Look past the Minbari, cub, what do you see?' "Nothing but Mars . . . " 'Look not with your eyes but with your mind.' "Oh. I see. . . . I . . . Old/Ancients!" 'Right. And /look/ behind Luna, what do you see?' "I see Young/Ancients." 'Correct, cub. They are the other reason.' "Oh?" 'The Balance.' "Right." ****************************** [Babylon 5; Gardens Mid morning, July 4, 2256 TCE] The gardens of Babylon 5 had just been completed and already they were being put to use. Various plants from Earth and other Alliance colonies were on display. Although artificially constructed inside a space station, the gardens had a natural look to them. Many had come to think of the Gardens as metaphor for Babylon Five itself. Where alien and human vegetation could co-exist maybe their animal counterparts could too. At various point throughtout the gardens tables had been set up. On top of the tables were food items from various Alliance worlds with other allied worlds as well. All the was ready, except for the people. They would come later. The station's lightning was set for low power since the station was still on solar cell power, so Little Deer Thunderbird's eyes had little light to see by, but she found her brother, Hawkeye Thunderbird, easily with her shaman skills. As she approached her brother she thought, /* Well you can certainly tell our heritage easily. */ Hawkeye Thunderbird looked to his sister with a questioning glance. "Is everything ready," she asked. Hawkeye nodded and still looked at his sister questionly as if to say what else. "The Chief wants us," Little Deer said. Hawkeye nodded again and thought, /* Yes, he is a war chief. */ Both headed out the way Little Deer had came in. "So the VIPs have arrived and the Minbari delagation will be coming soon?" asked Commander Jeffery Sinclair. He asked like a man who knew the answer to the question already but needed something to occupy the time. So Zaxxon Hunter just nodded his head. Commander Sinclair had always enjoyed Dr. Hunter's company. /* Just by looking at him, you wouldn't know that Knight Enterprises was one of the largest businesses in Earth Alliance space. Or that he was its owner, */ thought Sinclair. "So the station is complete?" Sinclair asked to continue with the small talk. "Yes, all the important sections are completed and secured," replied Zaxxon. They were both walking towards the Gardens. Upon arrival they both noticed all the VIPs that were there. Representatives from Earth Dome, Earth Force, and other distinguished guests. Zaxxon lead Sinclair through the crowd of VIPs and stopped in front of two men who were talking. The man on their right wearing a Knight Enterprise Security uniform was Hawkeye, who's responsible for the station's security through construction, and the man on the left wearing Earth Force Security uniform was Chief Warrant Officer Michael Garibaldi. Both men smiled at Zaxxon and Sinclair. "Everything's in position Chief, and all we're waiting for is the Minbari now," Hawkeye said to Zaxxon. "And. . ." Zaxxon said. "Taken care of," Hawkeye replied without prompting, "Lieutentant Commander Laurel Takashima has Command and Control in hand, Sis is overseeing the start up procedures for the reactor core, and Lex has the docking bays secure for the Minbari arrival." "So when do the Minbari arrive?" asked Garibaldi. "At Eighteen Hundred Hours Michael," replied Sinclair with a smile. "Impatient, or something?" asked Sinclair. "Well, if you must know Jeff, the last time I waited on the Minbari was during the War..." Garibaldi answered. "But that was eight years ago," Sinclair answered back, "besides the Minbari want to forget about the War as much as we do." "If you'll excuse me, there are some people I *have* to see," Zaxxon said sourly. All three saw the various senators that headed in their direction with their eyes locked on Zaxxon. Garibaldi sighed. "Don't worry, I'll divert them," Zaxxon said like it was a military mission. So saying he headed off, and began redirecting the herd of senators away from the group. "That was close," Garibaldi and Hawkeye replied at the same time. Both men broke into a smile. "So when and where do the Minbari come in?" asked Garibaldi. "That depends on the size of the Minbari ship, which bay is free, and how much assistance the Minbari need to dock," replied Sinclair. "Do we know who's coming," asked Hawkeye. "No," Sinclair said sourly. "I hope it's the liason that was set up with Earth Dome. She seemed to have a real interest in the station," Sinclair said in a more positive note. "Does this liason have a name?" asked Garibaldi intriged. "Delenn," Sinclair replied. "She has been polite in our discussions. Although, what position in her govornment she holds, or if she does have a position, I don't know." "Oh, mysterious lady," Hawkeye joked. "All woman, regardless of race, have secrets," Sinclair said with a smile. "And finding them out, is what makes them interesting," Garibaldi said, wisely trying to hide a laugh. Hawkeye spotted his sister and waved her over. "How you doing sis?" Hawkeye asked her once she joined the group. "Fine," she replied. "All the switches are set to turn on the main fusion reactor for the ceremony. So who is the Chief entertaining over there?" she asked pointing to the group of poeple around Zaxxon. "Those are the members of the Senates' oversight commitee for the Babylon Project," replied Sinclair, "I hope there aren't any problems at this point." "Yeah, its t minus 1 hour and 58 minutes until the station is officially on-line," Garibaldi stated. "And about an hour until the Minbari are scheduled to arrive," replied Little Deer. "That gives the Minbari an hour to prepare if they need to," Sinclair replied. "Who are they sending here?" Little Deer asked. "Delenn doesn't know," answered Sinclair, "I get the impression from her that they haven't decided the last time I spoke with her." "And that was this morning right?" asked Garibaldi nerviously. "Right," replied Sinclair. "Oh boy," Garibaldi and Hawkeye said together and smiled. "Well, we'll find out in an hour then," Sinclair said. === End Part 1 === [Why,. Why not?] -- Zaxxon http://www.mtsu.edu/~sachs -------------------------------------------------------------------------- And the child looked at the Phoenix, saw that it was new and renewed from the ashes of it's rebirth, and said, "Neat, can you do any other tricks?" From sachs@knuth.mtsu.eduSun Mar 17 21:17:55 1996 Date: Mon, 4 Mar 1996 09:31:32 -0600 (CST) From: Zaxxon Reply to: b5-creative@blob.best.net To: Babylon5 Creative Mailing List Cc: Shayna Sachs Subject: Destroyers Ch1: Preparations Part 2 of ?? Feedback is important! I might not continue this is there no feedback (comments, suggestions, etc). Even a single line stating that you received it is welcome.] Destroyers Chapter 1 --- Preparations --- Part 2 of ?? Written by Shaule Sachs (c) 1996, Shaule Sachs #include #include ===== [Babylon 5; Gardens Mid Afternoon, July 4, 2256 TCE] Sinclair, Garibaldi, Hawkeye, and Little Deer stood together making their own little group in the crowd of people. By talking to each other they were able to avoid having to speak with the various representatives that were present. Zaxxon had saved the group from listening to a bunch of self-important Earth Senators talking about nothing for hours on end. Sinclair felt sorry for Zaxxon, but, he was glad that it was not him that had to entertain them. All of the necessary and many of the unnecessary representatives of Earth Alliance felt that they had to be at the official ceremony were present and already enjoying the food and drinks that was there. Zaxxon was finally free to rejoin the group after forty-five minutes of talking with the Senators by pointing out that the spoo was fresh and it was going fast. On the way back he stopped at the punch bowl, poured himself some (much to the chagrin of the server), tasted it, and noticed it was spiked. He then preceded to inform the server that she was to get some more unspiked punch and that she should do it now. "Well, it was bound to happen," Zaxxon said sourly. Everyone in the group was surprised at Zaxxon's return. They did not see him coming. "What was 'bound to happen'?" Garibaldi asked with a voice trying to copy Zaxxon's. "Someone spiked the punched," Zaxxon replied. "Spiked the punch?" Sinclair asked, unfamilar with the term. "It means I have not been doing my job," replied Hawkeye. "No, spiking the punch means that someone put alcohol into the punch. It's an Earth tradition to do when there's a party and punch," Zaxxon informed the group. "As to who's job it is to watch for these things, it's mine and the punch server's job," Zaxxon said. When Zaxxon saw that Hawkeye was going to leave the group to talk to the server he added, "I've already talked to her." Hawkeye, while not a hundred percent satisfied, knew that if Zaxxon said he talked to the server then the matter was closed so he went back to where he was. The four commlinks of Zaxxon, Sinclair, Hawkeye, and Garibaldi went off at the same moment. Zaxxon responded, "Hunter here." "Takashima here in Command and Control," came the voice. "The Jumpgate is just activated. The Minbari are here," she continued. "Right," Sinclair replied calmly. "Lets get this show on the ground then," Zaxxon said closing his link and heading off towards the docking bays. Sinclair just shrugged and followed him. Hawkeye and Little Deer smiled and followed Sinclair. Garibaldi realizing he was left alone said, "Wait for me," and headed after them. Zaxxon lead them to Docking Bay 2 where a Minbari shuttle craft was in the final stages of docking. Sinclair's commlink beeped. "Sinclair," he responded. "Minbari shuttle is now docking in Bay 2 Sir," Takashima said. "Thank you Lieutentant Commander," Sinclair said closing his link. /* How did Zaxxon know which Docking Bay the Minbari would dock in? */ Garibaldi asked himself, /* All the Bays but Four and Seven are empty. Yet he came straight to Bay Two. */ "Now we get to see who they sent," Hawkeye said breaking the momentary silence that started with Sinclair closing his link. Just as Hawkeye was finished the ramp to the Minbari shuttle started opening. As the ramp opened the group of five fell silent. The silence grew, taking a life unto itself. The ramp slowly lowered with no sound of hydraulics to add to the sounds of the station. Out of the shuttle came a tall hooded, grey shape. The grey shape looked around taking in the entire Bay and the group awaiting for the mysterious figure to reach them. A red hooded person followed the grey one down the ramp. The red hooded one looked around as the grey one did but it seemed to avoid the group, seeing what else was there. Lastly, another grey hooded figure emerged. Sinclair and the others noted that each hooded figure was smaller than the preceding one. The smaller grey one headed straight for the group with the other grey one on its right and the red one on its left. The hooded strangers stopped a few feet away from the group. An awkward silence began. When the silence had dragged on a bit to much for Garibaldi, he decided to open his mouth to say something, but Zaxxon cut him off by speaking first. With a bow Zaxxon to the hooded figures, he turned to Sinclair and said, "Commander Jeffery Sinclair, may I present to you, Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari Federation, along with her helpers, Linan of the Second Fane of Chidem on her right and Daran of the Fire Wing Clan on her left." Delenn, in the front, removed her hood, bowed to Zaxxon, and asked, "I don't believe we've meet before?" As Delenn spoke the other two removed their hoods as well. "No, we have not," Zaxxon replied with a smile. Seeing Delenn's puzzlement on how to proceed Sinclair stepped in and said, "Ambassador Delenn. . . ." Delenn turned to Sinclair who continued, "Ambassador Delenn to my left is Doctor Zaxxon Hunter, the Chief Executive Officer of Knight Enterprise, the company that Earth Dome contracted to actually construct Babylon Five. To my immediate right is Chief Warrant Officer Michael Garibaldi, who'll be in charge of the station's security after the station goes on-line." Garibaldi bowed like the Minbari did at the mention of his name. Sinclair, seeing that Zaxxon was still smiling, took a breath, and continued on. "Next to him is Eyes-of-the-Hawk who has been in charge of security up until now. And next to him is his sister, Runs-Like-A-Deer, who's an engineer in constructing the station." "The ceremony for the Station inauguration begins in an hour Ambassador," Zaxxon broke in. "You'll be ready by then?" he asked. Both Sinclair and Delenn looked annoyed at Zaxxon's interuption but Sinclair just nodded realizing that the ceremony would start soon with or without the Minbari. Sinclair continued as if Zaxxon had not spoken, "Quarters have been prepared for you. If you'll follow me." Sinclair escorted Delenn and her party out heading to Green sector where the ambassadoral suites were. Garibaldi and Hawkeye brought up the rear leaving Zaxxon and Little Deer in the Bay. Little Deer stated, "You don't like her." "No, I don't," Zaxxon replied. Looking after the departing group, he said mostly to himself, "hopefully she can change or . . . ." As Zaxxon walked out of the Bay Little Deer said, "I hate it when he does that." [The Minbari talk in their native tongue while in their own quarters] While preparing for the station inauguration of the station Linan asked, "What does one wear to a >>party<>party<>party<< is a terran ceremony of celebration," replied Delenn trying to explain the term. "A celebration of what?" Daran asked. "Of various things," Delenn continued, "In this case, the completion of the station we are standing on." "They celebrate the 'completion' of things?" Linan asked surprised. "Yes, they do," Delenn stated uncertain. "What purpose. . . . What is the significance of the occassion?" Linan continued to ask not understanding. "I. . . . I do not know," Delenn replied. "It may be like our Success ceremony. To pray and hope that the events to come will be favorable. . . ." Delenn hazarded a guess. "Yes Satai," Linan and Daran replied formally. "Do not use that title here. The Earthers are not to know about the Grey Council," Delenn said hastely. "Yes Satai," Linan and Daran replied formally. Delenn sighed. "From what Commander Sinclair said about >>parties<< they are not religious observance, but they are important," Delenn stated to get make to the subject at hand. "How can something be important but not be a religious observance?" Linan asked bewildered. "Well, we must get ready. It will not do to be late to the first meeting of Minbari and Humans," Delenn formally replied ending the discussion. "Forgive me Sat... Ambassador, but what do we wear?" Linan asked hestiately. === End of Part === [] -- Zaxxon http://www.mtsu.edu/~sachs -------------------------------------------------------------------------- And the child looked at the Phoenix, saw that it was new and renewed from the ashes of it's rebirth, and said, "Neat, can you do any other tricks?" ============================== Random Babylon5 quote ... "Back home, our position, status, all that we have is based on family history. G'Kar offered me an exchange. My cooperation in return for evidence showing that during our rule of the Narn homeworld, certain atrocities were committed by my grandfather." -- Londo, "The Gathering" From sachs@knuth.mtsu.edu Sun Mar 24 21:19:25 1996 Date: Sun, 24 Mar 1996 15:37:39 -0600 (CST) From: Zaxxon Reply-To: b5-creative@blob.best.net To: Babylon5 Creative Mailing List Cc: Shayna Sachs Subject: DESTROYERS Chapter 1: Preparations Part 3 Destroyers Chapter 1 --- Preparations --- Part 3 of 5 [I hope] Written by Shaule Sachs (c) 1996, Shaule Sachs #include #include ===== [Babylon 5; Gardens Afternoon, July 4, 2256 TCE] The Minbari arrived in the Gardens with only a few moment to spare before the cememonies began. Silence seemed to enter with them. Delenn decided to join Sinclair's group. The group was standing by the stage that had Zaxxon and someothers on it. Sinclair, Takashima, Garibaldi, and Kyle were in full Earth Force dress uniforms while Hawkeye and Little Deer were wearing formal Knight Enterprise uniforms. Only Zaxxon had not changed and yet he seemed to fit in perfectly with the crowd. "In just a few moments now, the main reactor core will be up to speed and ready to power up," Zaxxon began. "So, Engineer Thunderbird, please, disengage solar power cells," Zaxxon said, and the main lights went out as Little Deer acknowledged the order. The silence seemed to grow with the darkness. Only the emergency lighting remained and that was limited to the hallways. The sound of a commlink activating sounded strangely loud in the darkened gardens. "Ten," Zaxxon began. "Nine," said the crowd as one, confusing the Minbari. "Eight," came voices from the back of the gardens. "Seven," Sinclair and company said. "Six," a bunch of Senators screamed. "They appear to be counting downwards, why?" asked Delenn. "Five," a group of Generals and Admirals replied. "Should we join in?" Linan asked of Delenn. "Maybe. . ." Delenn replied. "Four," came from the far side of the Gardens. "Quickly, what comes before four?" Delenn asked. "Five," replied Linan hopefully. "They have already said that," Daran said, "It's . . . ." "Three," came from a group of reporters covering the story. Sinclair, seeing the confusion among the Minbari, had made his way towards them. Upon reaching them Sinclair said, "The next number is two, Ambassador. Together. . . ." "Two," cried the Minbari and Sinclair together. Various groups around the Minbari began smiling seeing the proud Minbari joining in. "Its a custom to count downwards to start an event," Sinclair began to explain. "One," shouted everyone. "Show time," Zaxxon said softly. "Zero," he continued in a louder voice. An pause filled the air. In the darkness Zaxxon's voice could be heard intoning, "In the beginning, there was Darkness.... And the Creator said, 'Let there be Light,' and there was light." So saying the main lightning system returned to life, giving the impression that it was a sunny afternoon day. From the speakers that were strategically placed throughout the lights came a female voice that said, "Computer system . . . online. Systems check . . . optimal settings. Sensors . . . online. Fusion reactors . . . online. Welcome to Babylon Five. All systems . . . online. This is Babylon Five computer system, online and functional." With Babylon 5 officially online, the party became more of a celebration than before. Where as before, the people had gathered around the stage together, now they were clustered into various groups. Senator Hidoshi left a group of his fellow senators to join with Zaxxon and Sinclair. The two fell silent out of respect for the elder senator. << "Zaxxon-san, you are a marvel," >> Senator Hihoshi began in Japanese. << "We gave but a year to construct this station and you did it," >> he continued excitely. << "Thank you, Honorable Senator," >> replied Zaxxon in Japanese, << "The honor must go to my employees who worked so hard." >> << "They work so hard because they love their shachoo," >> the Senator stated, << "You are a true samuri, Zaxxon-san." >> Zaxxon could only bow to the Senator at the compliment. Turning to Sinclair Zaxxon said, "Commander Sinclair, this is Senator Hidoshi." Sinclair bowed to the Senator and said, "A pleasue to meet you sir." Hidoshi returned the bow and said, "Ah, Sinclair, an honorable family. I believe that you will do well here. If you gentlemen would excuse me I see that my wife needs by assistance." So saying the Senator bowed and departured. Sinclair followed the Senator with his eyes. He turned to Zaxxon and said, "Interesting fellow." Zaxxon nodded and replied, "Yes. Don't worry Jeff, if you need any assistance with the Oversight committtee, Senator Hidoshi is on our side. He'll provide as much help as he can from EarthDome. Come, there are more Senators to meet." The three Minbari had worked their way towards a corner of the gardens where some Minbari plants where growing. The plants were a gift from the Minbari to the station as a sign of their support of it. Now the plants were a haven to the Minbari lost in a sea of humanity. The others were politely ignoring the Minbari. << "So this is a 'party'," >> Linan said in Minbari. << "There sure is a lot of food here," >> Daran said before placing a piece of spoo into her mouth. << "Yes, foods and beverages are a part of a 'party'," >> Delenn said wisely. << "What is that brown stuff you have in your hand? " >> Linan asked of Daran. << "It's called 'chocolate,' everyone is eatting it. It is be consumed faster than the spoo is. Both are very tasty," >> replied Daran a bit defensively. << "Give me a piece of this 'chocolate,'" >> Delenn demanded. The request was more of a command so that Daran immediated handed over the chocolate bar she was about to eat to Delenn and replied, << "Yes, Sa... Ambassador." >> << "Yes, this 'chocolate' is good," >> Delenn stated after eatting the chocolate bar, << "We do not have anything like this on Minbar." >> << "It could be arranged," >> Zaxxon said to Delenn. << "Where ..." >> Daran gasped. << "What ..." >> both Delenn and Lian exclaimed. << "I mean, its possible we could set up a deal to deliver 'chocolate' to Minbar," >> Zaxxon replied calmly. << "How ..." >> Delenn started to say. << "I have always believed in conducting business deals in my clients native tongue. Less of a chance of misunderstand that way," >> Zaxxon continued. << "You are enjoying the 'chocolate,' correct?" >> << "Yes," >> replied Delenn and Daran. << "Then maybe other Minbari will enjoy some 'chocolate' too," >> Zaxxon said as-matter-of-fact. << "Maybe," >> Delenn replied uncertain. << "We'll discuss it after the festival," >> Zaxxon said. "Now Ambassador, I think would be a good time to meet some of our other partners," Zaxxon continued in Alliance standard. "/Other/ partners?" Delenn asked. "Other as in besides me, of course," Zaxxon replied. "In this case, I mean some of the Senators on the Earth Alliance Oversight Committe for Babylon Five," Zaxxon continued, "Earth Alliance owns approximately sixty percent of Babylon Five, Knight Enterprise owns about ten percent, and the Minbari Federation owns the remaining thirty percent Ambassador. That's why the Federation had a say in who commanded Babylon Five." "Shall we go then," Delenn replied. Zaxxon lead the three Minbari to a group of Senators. The group of senators was made up of four senators. Zaxxon introduced them saying, "From my right to left are Senators Hidoshi, Richard Cradford, and Dianna Johnsoni of the Oversight committee for Babylon Five and Senator Mary Lacasa is part of the Extraterrestrial Affairs committee. Representatives Nanct Hardcastle and William Smith are members of the Colonial Operations Oversight committe and next to Representative Smith is Representive Tomas Stormbringer of the Exploration Committee." As the Minbari approached the group they overheard the one identitied as Representative Stormbinger say that another exploration mission into Vorlon space was under way. "Ah," said Representative Stormbringer, "Ambassador Delenn, I was going to go looking for you." "Oh?" Delenn replied. "Yes," Stormbringer continued, "We know that you, Minbari, are one of the oldest race of those we, Terrans, have encountered and I was wondering what information on the Vorlons you could give us?" "There is not much to say about the Vorlons, Representative," Delenn began, "they keep to themselves." "Oh," Stormbringer replied. "We've sent two previous ships to make contact with the Vorlons...." "If you'll excuse me, I promised Lieutenant Commander Takashima that I'd cover C&C so she could attend the last hours of this party," Zaxxon told the group at large. "Of course, Honor demands that you keep your promises," replied Hidoshi bowing to Zaxxon. "And a chance to use the Babylon Five mainframe to play 'Space Defenders' one last time before the system loads get too high, has nothing to do with it, I bet," Stormbringer stated sharply, being slightly mad at the interuption. Zaxxon simply smiled, returned Hidoshi's bow, and left. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to your previous attempts?" Delenn asked, continuing where they left off. "Not at all," Stormbringer said. "The first mission we sent to contact the Vorlons discovered an ionized asteroid field that was full of various minerals and other materials we could use. Since there seemed no other way around the field the Captain had to go through it. Well, the asteroid field proved more dense than the Centauri's map had lead us to believe. Before the ship was destroyed, they were able to analyze the field to determ that the field was minable. So when the Vorlons radioed about our loss, we asked if anyone had claim to the field. The Vorlons said that no one did, so we began mining it. The second mission discovered a trinary planetary system that we have not had the chance before to examine. The ship was destroyed in an unexpeted solar flare. So far we're oh for two. We, the committe I'm on, hope that Captain Harison won't get sidetrack like the others did." "Why do you continue to try to contact the Vorlons if the last two were destroyed?" asked Daran. "Why not?" replied Stormbringer shrugging. Representative Smith, noticing that Stormbringer's attention to Delenn had shifted to Daran, he said to Delenn, "I understand that the Minbari have three castes to your society. I was wondering if you would be kind enough to try to explain it to us?" "Yes, please," replied various Sentaors and Representatives. "Well, there really is not much to explain," Delenn began. "The three castes are the Religious, Warrior, and Worker caste...." Sinclair noticed Zaxxon introducing Delenn to the various Earth Dome officials. At first he was worried but his fears were laid to rest when he saw that the officials had included the Minbari in their talks. Seeing as how there were no problems developing, Sinclair decided to remain where he was with the others. He was surprised when Lieutentant Commander Takashima joined them. He asked to her, "Aren't you suppose to be in Command-and-Control?" "Dr. Hunter relieved me. He thought I shouldn't miss the party," Takashima replied. "Oh? I didn't know that civilians could relieve command staff personel," Garibaldi put in. "Well, Zaxxon's not a civilian, per say," Sinclair began. "He has special agent status with Earth Force." "During the Earth-Minbari War, Dr. Hunter was the Chief Engineer for Earth Force Research and Development division," Little Deer continued. "Oh," Garibaldi said thinking about how some of the improvements that his unit got saved their lives a number of times. [Babylon 5; Gardens Station Night Cycle] "A toast, to everyone before I go," Zaxxon started, "To Babylon Five. Babylon Five is a dream. A Dream we have given form to. It is our hope that it will be a place of understanding and peace. A place where human and alien can coexist and learn from each other. A place that will be a beacon of Light in the Darkness of space. A place where people will know that we are not alone in Night but among friends. To Babylon Five." === End of Part 3 === [ More of Chapter 1 to come ... unless I don't get any feedback...] -- Zaxxon http://www.mtsu.edu/~sachs -------------------------------------------------------------------------- And the child looked at the Phoenix, saw that it was new and renewed from the ashes of it's rebirth, and said, "Neat, can you do any other tricks?" ============================== Random Babylon5 quote ... "Do you not have files on the Vorlons?" 'Absolutely. Very large files. But nothing is in them, of course.' -- Delenn and Sinclair, "The Gathering" From sachs@knuth.mtsu.edu Wed May 8 17:28:17 1996 Date: Sun, 21 Apr 1996 15:56:52 -0500 (CDT) From: Zaxxon Reply-To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com Subject: DESTROYERS: Ch1= Preparations Part 4 of 5 Destroyers Chapter 1 --- Preparations --- Part 4 of 5 [I think] Written by Shaule Sachs (c) 1996, Shaule Sachs #include #include [Part 5 will come faster if I get some feedback.] ===== [Babylon 5; Command-and-Control Mid morning July 12, 2256] "ETA for Narn Ambassador, Lieutenant Commander?" Sinclair asked. "Narn Ambassador is scheduled to arrive in two hours, sir," replied Lt. Commander Takashima after looking at her board. "I suggest using Bay Three, since its the most completed of the Docking Bays at the moment." "How long until the other Bays are repaired?" asked Sinclair. "Another two hours after the Narn Ambassador arrives Commander," came the answer. Seeing Sinclair's face, Takashima continued, "Security Chief Garibaldi captured the saboteur three hours ago. Earth Dome wants us to send her to Earth for trail." "But the crime was committed here," Sinclair said, surprised at Earth Dome's decision. "Yeah well, that's why Earth Dome feels that she would get a /fair/ trail," Takashima continued, "I guess the fact that we caught her setting the explosives would cloud our judgement." She shrugged and said, "I don't see why." Sinclair sighed. "When does the shuttle arrive?" he asked. "About an hour sir, we should be ready when he gets here." "Very well, *sigh*, I'm going to see Ambassador Delenn to see what protocol she wishes to use to meet the Narn Ambassador," Sinclair said, turning towards the exit. Just before reaching the door he turned his head towards Laurel and asked, "What's the Narn's Ambassador's name?" "The Car, or something," came the reply. ****************************** [Babylon 5; Main Security Office Noon, July 12, 2256] "Okay people, we have fifteen minutes until the shuttle arrives," Michael Garibaldi, Security Chief of Babylon 5, said to the three security officers present. "Is the prisoner ready to be /transferred/?" he asked. "Yes sir," replied Jack, Garibaldi's aide. "I've got all the paperwork done." "*Paper*work?" asked Security Officer Elizabeth Thomson, "actual paper hasn't existed for centuries..." "So," replied Garibaldi and Jack together smiling. "I mean, why keep such an archaic term for something that does not exist anymore?" Officer Thomson asked. "Well, the work part remains. It's just the medium that's changed," replied Garibaldi, trying to explain it to the young officer. "And it's still a pain in the ass to do," Jack continued. "Oh," Thomson said. "And next time, Lisa, you get to do the paperwork," Jack joked. "And when you make Chief some day, you'll thank us for starting you early," Garibaldi said in the same tone as Jack. Looking only slightly serious, he said, "The higher in the ranks you get, the higher the pile of paperwork you have to do." "Eeck," Lisa replied, "So you're saying if I don't get promoted, then I'll won't get more paperwork?" "Yep," Jack replied. "Then maybe I shouldn't accept any more promotions then," Lisa said with a smile. "Wish I thought of that," Garibaldi said, "Well we've a prisoner to escort to Docking Bay Three." So saying, Garibaldi headed towards holding. "*Alien*-lover," screamed the prisoner, "They're trying to take away our souls..." "Yeah, yeah, just be a good girl and get in the shuttle," Garibaldi said tired of listening to her. He was glad to hand her over to the Alliance Marshals after listening to her screaming on and on as he escorted her from the holding cells to the Docking Bay. Once safely with the Marshals, Garibaldi decided to walk around the station to get a feel for it. From the docking bays he headed towards the Zocalo. The Zocalo, at the moment, was silent. The merchants who had rented space from Earth Alliance were busy setting up their respective shops. He knew the quiet would not last, so he tried to enjoy it. After about fifteen minutes or so, Garibaldi had gone through most of the Zocalo. As he was heading out a disturbance started. Two shopkeepers were arguing. What they were arguing about he could not tell since the two shopkeepers were aliens, each speaking in his/her/its own native language, which added to the argument. When he got close enough he asked, "What's the problem?" hoping that either one or both understood Alliance Standard. Well, even though it was in their rent agreement, which clearly stated that the rent must know Alliance Standard, neither aliens answered his question. Either they did not understand the language or they were ignoring him. He did not like the later idea. Believing that music is the universal language Garibaldi shouted, "ENOUGH!" Both aliens stopped in mid sentence, looked at Garibaldi and his uniform, and made a single sound towards their respective shops. Out of each shop another alien appeared. The two aliens looked at the their fellow alien, then at Garibaldi, and said, "What is problem, officer?" "That's what I want to know," Garibaldi replied. He then proceded to explain to the newcomers that he had heard the ruckus the two other aliens were making and he wanted to know what the agrument was about. It turned out that the shopkeeper on the left had put a large box on the other's area. When the other shopkeeper complained in her own native language the other could not understand so he began to complain in his native native language, thus began the /argument/. "That's why we decided on a standard language to be spoken while your on Babylon Five," Garibaldi explained. Just then his comlink beeped. "Garibaldi here," he replied. "The Commander wants us in Docking Bay Three, formal, to welcome the Narn Ambassador in fifteen minutes," Takashima said. "Right. Garibaldi out," he said closing the link. Garibaldi met Sinclair just as they both were entering the Bay. Garibaldi turned to Sinclair and said in a conspriatal voice, "Formal uniforms are torture devices." Sinclair could only smile at the remark. "Well, Michael, this shouldn't take long," he said back to Garibaldi. "That's good, Jeff," Michael replied. "Then we have to do it again for the Centauri Ambassador," Jeff said with a smile. "That's bad," Michael shot back. They both waited by the viewport, so named since it gave a view of the Docking Bay, while waiting for both Takashima and the Narn shuttle. Takashima arrived first, still trying to fasten her uniform's button together. "I'm going to *kill* the guy who designed formal uniforms," Takashima said with vemon. Garibaldi could not resist putting in, "why are you so sure it was a guy that designed them?" Takashima could only look daggers at him. "Shall we greet the Ambassador people?" asked Sinclair, who noted that the Narn shuttle was starting to do the final docking procedure. "Right," both Garibaldi and Takashima said. They had just entered the bay as the shuttle was preparing to disembark its passenger. A single person exited the shuttle and walked up to Commander Sinclair. "Greetings, I'm called G'Kar," the Narn Ambassador said as he crossed his arms and bowed. Sinclair took a step forward and said, "I'm Commander Jeffery Sinclair, Babylon Five's Commander, to my right is Michael Garibaldi, the station's Security Chief, and to my left is Laurel Takaishma, the station's Executive Officer." Ambassador G'Kar nodded. "Lieutenant Commander Takashima will excort you to your quarters in the Ambassadorial section. If you have any problems, please, don't hestiate to ask for help," Sinclair said. "I'm sure there won't be any problems Commander," G'Kar said and turned towards the door. After a few steps, G'Kar stepped on a tool that had been left out from the repairs to the bay. The tool went out from G'Kar's foot, causing G'Kar to fall on his rear and the tool to hit the bulkhead. Garibaldi had no choice but to turn away to keep his laughter hidden. Lt. Commander Takashima looked to Sinclair with a face full of shock. The worst part of it was that it took G'Kar a few moments to realize that he was flat on his ass, at which point G'Kar started complaining about the incident, how it was an attempted assassination, an attempt to embarrass the Narn government in front of others, to . . . "Enough, Ambassador, there is no other govornment representatives here except Earth Alliance," Sinclair cut the Narn off. He continued, "The Centauri are not to arrive for another five hours. It was an accident. These things happen. I'll personally escort you to your quarters or to MedLab if you feel the need..." "No... No, I'm fine," G'Kar replied. "Very well, shall we go," Sinclair asked giving G'Kar a helping hand up. The rest of the day went better than what had previous occurred. The meeting with Delenn and G'Kar went well and the arrive of the Centauri Ambassador, Londo Mollari, went smoothly. So smoothly Sinclair wondered if either the Fates were making it up to him for what happened with the Narn Ambassador or the Fates were trying to lull him into a false sense of security. When he mentioned it to Michael, he went with the false sense of security route. /* Of course, his job is to look towards the pestimist view, */ Sinclair thought. *********************************** [Babylon 5; Command-and-Control Late Evening, July 12 - 13, 2256] Sinclair was sitting at his post, reflecting on the day's events. The Narn and Centauri ambassadors were aboard. The Zocalo was filling in nicely. Ambassador G'Kar had dropped the complainant about his accident. /* So why do I feel like the other shoe is going to drop soon? */ he thought. Well, it was not until almost oh three hundred, the next day, that the other shoe dropped, and when it fell there was a brick inside it. "Commander," said Tech Number One, "Raider activity reported in Sector 16, sir. Six interceptor-class craft, minimum load and armament." "What's their target?" Sinclair asked. "The message came from the EAC Baltimore," the Tech replied. "Sounds fimilar," Sinclair said, "launch Delta Squardon to intercept. Have Alpha Squadron placed on alert stand-by." "Yes, its scheduled to arrive here in three hours," Tech One said, It's carrying the last of our supplies, seeds, rations, and ..." "And what... Ensign?" Sinclair asked. "Part of the manifest, it lists Knight Enterprise rations on it," came the reply, "but haven't they left already?" "No, they have an office aboard. A contract arrangement. Not a bad idea, I think," Sinclair said. "Yes sir," the Tech replied. "Should I alert the Lieutenant Commander?" "No, Laurel deserves some sleep," Sinclair said. "This is Delta Leader to Babylon Control," the voice on the comm system said. "Babylon Control to Delta Leader, raider activity reported in Sector 16. Investigate and lend any assistance as needed to the cargo ship Baltimore. ETA to target is three hours," Sinclair said. "Copy Babylon Control. Delta Squadron is away," Delta Leader said. "So what are they after?" Garibaldi asked when Sinclair informed him of the Raider activity. "I don't know, Michael, unless.... How much space did Zaxxon get?" Sinclair asked. "Huh? What does.... A little more than two standard stores in the Zocalo.... Plus two good size suites in Green Sector, a little way from the Ambassadorial wing.... Why?" Michael asked. "Part of the Batlimore's menifest listed Knight Entrprise rations as its cargo," Sinclair replied. "I still don't understand Jeff," Garibaldi said. Sinclair sighed and said, "Maybe if you knew that Frost Food Company is owned by Knight Enterprise...." Garibaldi eyes widen as he said, "They're after chocolate? I know Sophie's Chocolate bars are good, but, to take on an Earth Alliance transport...." "Well, somebody thinks they're that good, I guess. I understand that they are in high demand on worlds that wouldn't have had contact with the Alliance without making some kind of arrangement to buy some. They sell as well as, if not better than, spoo does," Sinclair said. "Not to mention how much they are worth on the Black Market," Garibaldi said, "still... they're just candy bars." "Status on Delta Squadron Ensign?" Sinclair asked. "Delta Squadron reports that they have the transport in visual range, no sign of the Raiders, sir. The Baltimore has some battle damage on its port haul but Delta Four believes that it should be able to complete its jounrey here," replied the Tech on duty. "Good," replied Sinclair, "have them escort the Baltimore here. Place Alpha Squadron off alert status but maintain stand-by until Delta Squadron is green lighted." "Yes sir," the tech answered. *********************************** [Babylon 5; Zocalo Afternoon, July 13, 2256] Delenn was walking through the Zocalo and she noticed a crowd of humans and aliens gathering around a particular store. She spotted Mister Garibaldi standing idly by the front of the store. She hesitated for a moment but curiousity won out. She approached him carefully, remembering a time when she was younger and had /disturbed/ a member of the Warrior caste. "What is happening here?" she asked, gesturing towards the crowd. She continued, "Why is everyone gathering around this store? Are not all the stores opening soon?" Garibaldi looked around. He noted the number of people standing in the Zocalo, the sign of the place, "Frost Food Store," and he also noted Delenn's puzzled look. /* At least, I think that's puzzlement, */ he thought to himself. Taking a deep breath he said, "Well, it would seem everyone is waiting for that shop to open." Delenn looked at Garibaldi then at the people in the Zocalo and back at Garibaldi. She said, "Okaaaaaay...," clearly not understanding. Garibaldi looked at Delenn as she said that. It seemed like she was trying to imitate the Commander and failing. "But why are they all standing in front of this place?" Delenn asked. "Well, this store belongs to Knight Enterprise and Frost Food," Garibaldi said as if that should answer the question. Looking at Delenn's face, he realized it did not, sighing resignedly he continued, "Sophie's chocolate bars." Garibaldi sighed and said, "the chocolate bars at the station inauguration ceremony...." "Oh, I recall eating a few. They were rather good," Delenn said with a fond remembrance. "And these /chocolate bars/ are for sale? What are their price?" "Well," Garibaldi said looking sheepishly, "that depends on how many they were able to deliver. They are in demand everywhere. They are very hard to come by outside of the Earth system. So their price varies from place to place." Garibaldi sighed and said, "Chief Warrant Officer's pay isn't that much so I'll won't be able get that many. Maybe... two or three. Why do you ask?" "Just wondering," Delenn replied. "How long do they, the chocolate bars, last?" "The bars themselves can last without proper storage for about a month or two. I figure that the store will be sold out in about an hour after they start selling them," Garibaldi said. "So fast?" Delenn asked. "What about the people who comes after that?" "S.O.L.," Garibaldi said. Seeing Delenn's puzzled faced he added, "It's an acryomn. S for Sorry, O for Out of, and L for Luck. S.O.L. Sorry, Out of Luck." "But what about..." Delenn began. Anticipating Delenn's question Garibaldi just nodded and said, "There's only so much room on an Earth transport. So like it or not, it's first come, first serve." "That's not fair," Delenn stated. "The Universe is not fair," Garibaldi said sadly. Delenn saw Garibaldi's face change from sorrow to something else as he said, "And some of us are here to make sure the Universe is fair. If you'll excuse, I've some crowd control to do." Garibaldi stepped away from Delenn towards a small group of people who were shoving each other. To herself Delenn said, "Yes, Mr. Garibaldi, the Universe is not fair.... It will be interesting to see if your kind can change it or not." === End of Part 4 === [One more part to go for Chapter 1. Wow.] -- Zaxxon http://www.mtsu.edu/~sachs -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the enflamed Phoenix fell, betrayed, from the Heavens, and all that could be heard was the softly spoken word, why. ============================== Random Babylon5 quote ... "I've always had a hard time getting up when it's dark outside." 'But in space, it's always dark.' "I know. I know." -- Ivanova and Sinclair, "Signs and Portents" From sachs@knuth.mtsu.edu Sun Aug 4 01:36:13 1996 Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 09:55:01 -0500 (CDT) From: Zaxxon Hunter Reply-To: b5-creative@lists.best.com To: b5-creative@lists.best.com Subject: Destroyers Chapter 1: Preparations Part 5 of 5 Destroyers Chapter 1 --- Preparations --- Part 5 of 5 Written by Shaule Sachs #include #include --- [Babylon 5; Commander Sinclair's office Febuary 14, 2257] /* Paperwork. It's a simple word made from two other simple words, 'paper' and 'work,' */ thought Jeffrey Sinclair, Commander of Babylon Five. /* Remove the word 'paper,' as what has happened, and you're left with the 'work.' */ Such thoughts had filled the Commander's mind all morning and the end did not seem in sight. Sinclair sighed and noticed that someone was waiting on him. Looking up he saw it was Lyta Alexander, the station's telepath, at the entrance. She seemed nervious. /* I don't know why, */ he thought, /* a Changling Net would fool anyone. */ Turning towards her, he signaled her to come in. Once she was close to Sinclair's desk, he asked, "What can I do for you Ms. Alexander?" Alexander seemed to hestiate for a moment before saying, "I .... I just wanted to see you before I had to leave for Earth. It's been a pleasure being on Babylon Five with you and Ambassador Delenn. I wanted to thank you for introducing me to her." "Why are you leaving Babylon Five?" asked Sinclair surprised. /* They have not told him... yet, */ Alexander thought. The next thought was /* He's worried about me and the station. */ She could understand the station part but she was surprised at the concern directed towards herself. "I've been ordered to return to Earth, no reason given." She did not expect one. Psi Corp was more militarian than the Armed Forces. /* Not that we don't have reasons for our actions. */ "I was not informed of a transfer. When do you need to leave?" Sinlcair asked. "My orders are to leave A.S.A.P.," Alexander said. "And who's replacing you?" Sinclair asked. Alexander hesitated. She tried to look at anything but Sinclair. "They're not sending a replacement, are they," Sinclair said resigned. "It took a year and half to get someone assigned to Babylon Five." Sinclair sighed and said, "Babylon Five is as much a place of business as a diplomatic station. What place of business does not have a telepath for contact negotiation! How long until we get a replacement?" "I .... I don't know Commander," Alexander said softly. Lyta saw Sinclair shake himself, look at her, and for a moment she felt remorse from him for his outbrust. "Sorry," Sinclair said apologetically. "Just one of the problems of running an Earth Alliance Station outside the Alliance boundaries." "I understand Commander," Alexander said, "I just wanted to say 'good-bye' and to thank you for everything ...." "You're welcome," Sinclair returned. "As long as Babylon Five is here, you have a home here." 'Thanks again Commander," Alexander said. "Sinclair here," he said in answer to the beep of his commlink. "Takashima here," the commlink said, "there's a PsiCorp transport here to take Lyta Alexander to Earth sir." "Understood Lieutenant Commander," Sinclair said to the commlink. He said to Alexander, "You're rides here." He tried to smile but he was sad to see her go. "Right," Alexander said as she headed for the door. [Babylon 5; Command and Control Febuary 19, 2257] "Let me be the first to congratulate you Commander," Sinclair said to Takashima as he steped into C'n'C. "Thank you Commander," Takashima replied. She moved slightly to allow Sinclair to take her place at the main console. "Ready for your first command?" Sinclair asked with a mischievious smile. "No. But I've learned a lot from you sir," Takashima answered, "I'll miss you." "I bet, after five days when the real work begin, you'll be enjoying yourself so much that you'll forgot about us," Sinclair said. "Never. I'll always remember Babylon Five and you, Commander, even if I live to be two hundred," Takashima said happily. "So when do you ship out?" Sinclair asked. "The _Icarus_ will be here in a few days to pick me up," Takashima said, "you have until then to pick my replacment from the 'pool.'" The 'pool' was a computer database that contained every available EarthForce member that filled the computer's idea of the perfect person for a job. /* It's a great idea, */ Sinclair thought, /* only some of the suggestions are ... questionable. */ Outloud he said, "Right. Well, how did it feel to have your last shift in C'n'C?" "Well, it was quiet for a change. Are you sure you can handle everything until my replacement shows up?" Takashima said. "Yes, I'll manage," Sinclair replied. [Babylon 5; MedLab Febuary 23, 2257 Late morning] "All finished Lieutenant Commander," Dr. Kyle said, "and it's nice to see you again. Especially under more pleasant circumstances...." The Lieutenant Commander looked at him quizzly as she got dressed. "I don't remember meeting before Doctor...." "Kyle. Benjamin Kyle. I was your mother's physician during her last years...." Kyle voice has a sad quanlity to it as he said that. He noticed the Lieutenant Commander's face. "So much like your mother.... Aren't you, Susan?" "What do you mean?" Susan Ivanova asked too quickly. "I suppose nothing," Kyle replied. After finishing the prelimary medical exam all EarthForce members had to take after being assigned to a new post, he walked over to an unlabaled cabinet, removed a bunch of items into an unmarked bag, and walked to Ivanova saying, "let me show you to your quarters Susan." "Why? I've studied the schematics of the Station, I should be able to find my own quarters," Ivanova asked. "Why take chances? Besides I've been here almost a year and a half, I can show you the sights not on the schematics," Kyle countered. "Come," he said as he half-pushed, half-dragged Ivanova out of MedLab with the bag tucked under his other arm. "Now that wasn't so bad," Kyle said humorously as they entered Ivanova's quarters. "I knew that there was a varity of aliens on Babylon Five but to see them all ...." Ivanova said awed. "I'm sure you'll get get use to it fast," Kyle said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've to go pack." "Pack?" Ivanova asked not understanding. "I'm being transfered to Earth. EarthForce wants to know everything I know about my operating on a Vorlon," Kyle said sadly. "You operated on a Vorlon?" Ivanova said incredibly. "Yes, don't worry Zax'll protect me," Kyle said seeing Ivanova's worried face. He set down the bag unto her table and walked towards the door. "Your bag..." Ivanova began. "I'm sure you'll know what to do with what's inside Susan," Kyle said simply as he walked out. Softly he added, "it's never the same." "But ...." Ivanova had a feeling what was inside but she was afeard to look inside. After seeing the bag's contains she paled and hid it as best she could. [Babylon 5; Commander Sinclair's office Febuary 23, 2257 Late afternoon] /* Typical day in an atypical week, */ Sinclair thought, /* I've lost my exec, chief surgeon, and the Station's telepath. I've gained a new exec and I'll have to wait on the other two replacements. */ Sinclair noticed when the stranger entered his office. From her uniform, Sinclair guessed who it was. "Your shift begins in thirty minutes Lieutenant Commander Ivanova." "So soon sir?" Ivanova asked hestiately. "You're qualified. No sense in wasting time," Sinclair said. "Yes sir," Ivanova replied. "I have the shift after yours so I'll see you in six hours," Sinclair said. Noting a dismissal when she heard one, Ivanova left the Commander's office for C'n'C. She was worried about being stationed on Babylon Five but the simple meeting with the Commander had convinced her otherwise. /* Now why do I feel that way? */ she asked herself. /* He only said twenty-nine words in three sentences to me and yet I trust him as my commanding officer already. Because he's willing to trust me that I'm willing to trust him must be a reason. Enough thinking Susan, go to work. */ As Ivanova left his office, Sinclair could only shake his head and retrieve a special data crystal from its storage bin. Although all data crystals were standardized to allow the passing of information between the different space-faring races in the Galaxy, Sinclair could not shake the feeling that this crystal was Minbari. True, Ambassador Delenn had given it to him, but he had given her a bunch of data crystals when she had asked for some, about a week after coming to Babylon Five. The crystal could be one of those, but he felt the crystal was older than it was possible for an Alliance's crystal. For the fifth time thay day he looked at the contents of the crystal. "You know that information has been editted, don't you?" Zaxxon Hunter asked. "What? Oh, it's you," Jeff said, "one of these days you'll give me a heart attack doing that." Zaxxon just smiled. "Why do you say the information is 'edited?'" Jeff asked. "Because there isn't any race more secretive than the Vorlons Jeff," Zaxxon said matter-of-factly. "Delenn doesn't keep secrets from me," Jeff said defensely. "True, those /secrets/ that are her own she'll tell you if you ask, but secrets of others I'd doubt that," Zaxxon said. "Besides she can only tell what she herself knows." "True," Jeff said, "so how do you know my new exec?" "Knew her parents," Zaxxon said sadly. "Sad about her mother." "Huh?" Jeff asked perplexed, "Sad? Suicide's a major sin." "That's one of the difference between Judaism and Christianity Jeff," Zaxxon said. "Doctor Steven Franklin should be here in a day or two. How you got him, is beyond me. And I'll help you with Psi Corp sending some one up here." "You know you sounded like a secretary just now," Jeff said, amused. "Well someone has to keep you in order," Zaxxon replied. "Heh, I thought that was my job," Michael Garibaldi said as he entered the office. Jeff laughed and said, "Fine. Let's continue this over supper." "Sure," Michael said. "I'll pay. I make more than both of you combined," Zaxxon said. "Sure, rub it in," Michael said cheerfully. "You could make more if you come work for me," Zaxxon responded only half-joking. "Come on gentlemen, let's eat," Jeff said to stop Zaxxon from hiring Michael away from him. "Okay," Zaxxon said in defeat. So the three left the Commander's office after Sinclair replaced the crystal back into it's holding. [Babylon 5; Febuary 24, 2257 Morning] "And this is Earhart's," Sinclair said. "Most of us eat here." "Oh, is the food that good?" Ivanova asked. "No," Sinclair said laughing. "It's the company." Seeing Ivanova's confused face he said, "look around...." "Except for the few in EarthForce uniform, I don't see anything unusual," Ivanova said after looking around. "Would it help if I pointed out most of the causally dressed people here *are* EarthForce and that there are no aliens here?" Sinclair asked. "Oh," Ivanova said, "So Earhart's only for EarthForce personnel." Ivanova nodded with a smile on her face. After getting their breakfasts, they sat down, and Sinclair started the history of Earhart's. "It began with most of the construction workers gathering here since this was one of the first areas finished. Mostly the Station Engineers would eat here. When the EarthForce personnel started to show up they tended to stick with the engineers since they were the most fimiliar of those working here. It became a tradition." Sinclair sighed and continued, "you could tell how much more there was to do by inversing the porportion of Knight employees to EarthForce personnel." "So the tradition is that Earhart's is an EarthForce only resturant?" Ivanova asked. "Basically. The exception is Knight Enterprise employees like those two over there." Sinclair pointed the two out to Ivanova. "Knight has an office/store in the Zocalo. One of the biggest business we have on Babylon Five." "What do they sell?" Ivanova asked. "Sophie's Chocolate bars mostly," Sinclair said with a smile which grew with Ivanova's reaction to the mention of chocolate. "Most of the stuff that Earhart's has comes from Frost Food Company," Sinclair said. He hastly added, "a division of Knight Enterprises" upon Ivanova's confused look. "Earhart's a place to get away from the grind. The custom at Earhart's is that if you mention anything work-related while here, you have to pay for everyone's drinks." "I remember that," Ivanova said with a smile. "Right," Sinclair said as he smiled back. He saw someone on his right and waved him over. "Michael Garibaldi," Sinclair said as he pointed out the person just joining them, "Chief of Security. This is Susan Ivanova, our new Executive Officer." "Hi," Garibaldi said, "welcome to the club." The two Knight employees were getting ready to leave when Zaxxon motioned them to remain. Zaxxon said to the first one, "everything alright?" "Yeah boss," the employee responeded. "Sales are slow since we sold out on the chocolate bars." "Right," Zaxxon said, "I'll have Henry send some more." "Okay," the employee said as he left. Zaxxon turned to the other and asked, "And how's our other projects running Hawkeye?" Hawkeye simply said, "Okay so far. The _Agamemnom_ won't return for a year. The _Icarus_ is headed to Z'Ha'Dum. Delenn has the triangle-thingy." Zaxxon smiled at the name. Hawkeye continued, "Kosh is getting used to having all us kids around and Lyta is on Earth at the moment. Everything happening the way History says it will, boss." After looking around he added, "Does He have to use that voice with us? I like Chance's voice better. Her's doesn't get on my nerves like His does." "Let it never be said that History does not have a sense of humor," Zaxxon replied. "Some humor," Hawkeye countered. [=== End of Part 5===] [*** End of Chapter 1 ***] -- Zaxxon http://www.cs.mtsu.edu/~sachs -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Looking at the ashes and death the Phoenix said wisely, "true. There is sorrow here but rejoice, there is room for rebirth here as well." ============================== Random Babylon5 quote ... "The Centauri diplomatic mission to your homeworld has been closed for, what, several years now? Some trouble I understand with our last envoy. I think that Vir would be the perfect replacement. You will find him most inoffensive. He is friendly. He...he keeps to himself. He wouldn't even spy on your government. He would consider it rude." -- Londo (to Delenn), "A Day in the Strife"