Babylon Five: FROM FINISH TO START Copyright (c) 1994-1994, Alexei Kosut . All rights will be transferred to J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Productions Inc., or the Prime Time Entertainment Network upon request. This document may be freely distributed. Prologue The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. A self-contained world five miles long, located in neutral territory. A place of commerce and diplomacy for a quarter of a million humans and aliens. A shining beacon in space, all alone in the night. It was the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind...the year the Great War came upon us all. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2259. The name of the place is Babylon 5. Chapter One Glancing down one of the empty corridors on Babylon 5, Commander Susan Ivanova swore softly. She had been looking for the Captain for almost half an hour now, and he was making himself hard to find. He had apparently turned off his link, and Ivanova would not normally bother him, but there was something that had come up that needed his attention. Glancing down at the time, she swore again, louder this time. She hopped onto the nearest lift, and ordered it to take her to Command and Control (C&C), the heart of the Babylon 5 station. She took a step out of the lift and was greeted by the shining face of Captain John Sheridan, commander of Babylon 5. She exclaimed, "Sir, I've been looking all over the station for you. Something just came up..." He held up his hand, "Yes, I know. I just received a message from General Jethro." "If I may ask, sir," queried Ivanova, "What was that all about?" Sheridan turned and handed her a data crystal. "Here, see for yourself." Ivanova stuck the crystal into the computer. "Play." General Jethro's face flashed onto the computer screen. "Captain Sheridan. As you may be aware, the site for the First Annual Intergalactic Starship Race was to be chosen by the Race Committee last night. Although it was not one of the submitted candidates, the Committee has picked Babylon Five. Congratulations, Captain. The racing starts in forty-eight hours." Ivanova gaped at the screen in astonishment. She turned to Sheridan. "Forty-eight hours? Pardon me for asking, but isn't that sort of short notice?" The Captain glanced at her. "You have a problem with that, Commander?" "No, sir. I'm Russian. We're used to this sort of thing." "Good. Now I need you to go over the Committee's list of entrees and find accommodation for them all." "Yes, sir." "And find Garibaldi. I need him to go over the rules and get this place set up for it." "Yes, sir. Anything else?" "No, you're dismissed." As she left C&C, Sheridan glanced down at the list of racers. The Race Committee had gone over each one carefully, making sure they were all legit, one ship per race, everyone officially approved, all that sort of stuff. He was worried, but not too worried. He looked up at the stars, and thought back to the days back on Earth, before space travel, when people yearned to reach the stars. Well, he mused, here we are, and we're still not happy. He sighed and glanced back down at his list. Then he stopped and stared at the list. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't remember seeing that name there before. He must not have seen it. He looked back up to the stars and dreamed of days gone by. *** Roy Zimmerman walked through the docking port of his ship, the Armageddon, into the docking bay of Babylon Five. He presented his clearance, straight from the Race Committee, to the security officer present. He glanced down at the room assignment given to him. He laughed softly to himself. Green Twelve. Directly above the Centauri ambassadorial suites. He picked up his bags and proceeded smugly to his new accommodations. *** Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari sat at a poker table in the Zocalo, and stared at his cards. Poker was an Earth game, but shared many characteristics with Centauri games Londo was quite fond of, and was enjoyable. There were quite a lot of credits riding on this hand, so he took some time to make his decision. He had just raised the bet by ten when he felt someone slide into the seat next to him. Without turning, Londo addressed the new arrival, "Mister Garibaldi, what do you want? I'm busy." "Not much. There's an entry in tomorrow's race running under the Centauri flag. Roy Zimmerman. Human. You know him?" "No, of course not. Should I?" "Well seeing how he's flagged as being sponsored by the Centauri, I thought you might." "Look, Mister Garibaldi. I don't care about some stupid race or who my stupid government picked to run in it. Now is there anything else or can I return to my game?" Garibaldi stood up. "No, that's all. Just wondering." As Michael Garibaldi walked away from the poker table, he frowned. It was odd that Londo was not aware of his own government's choice for the Race, especially seeing the ambassador's interest in gaming, but it wasn't Garibaldi's job to question that. He quickly rushed into the lift before it closed on him. Chapter Two As Londo Mollari returned to his quarters after having lost a great deal of money playing poker, he thought about what the security chief had said. He didn't recall having heard the name Roy Zimmerman before, but that didn't mean that he wasn't the Centauri entry for the Race. He turned to his aide. "Vir, who is competing for the Centauri in tomorrow's race?" Vir punched the request into his computer terminal, turned hesitantly to the ambassador and said, "Um... Ambassador, we haven't entered anyone in the race." Londo stood up suddenly and went to stand next to Vir. "That can't be correct. Let me see that." Vir nervously pushed the computer terminal's keyboard over to Londo, who tapped a couple commands into it. "Ah... see, Vir? Roy Zimmerman, from Earth." "But that wasn't there before!" sputtered Vir. "Nonsense. Now get out of here so I can get some sleep." Vir shuffled out the door, shaking his head and muttering to himself. On his way back to his quarters, he bumped into Garibaldi. Literally. Garibaldi looked down at Vir. "Problem, Vir?" "Not really, Mr. Garibaldi," muttered Vir. "It's just that Ambassador Mollari asked me who the Centauri entry in the Race tomorrow was, and I got an answer, then he got an answer, and the computer gave us both something different, and... I've got to be going now," muttered Vir. "Wait," intoned Garibaldi, "what answers?" "Well, I'm really not sure I should say..." "If there's a problem with the computer, I can have it fixed. What happened?" "Well, when I tried it, it told me there wasn't a Centauri entry in the Race, but a minute later it said there was. I swear it wasn't there when I tried it." Garibaldi's eyes narrowed. "Hmm. I'll have to look into this. Thanks, Vir." Vir scuttled off to his quarters, while Garibaldi walked to his office. *** Roy Zimmerman was sitting at the desk in his assigned quarters, going over the plans for the Race, when the door behind him suddenly opened. He turned to see who it was... "Station security. Freeze." Michael Garibaldi was standing there, PPG in hand, with several of his security guards standing around him. "You're under arrest." Roy looked at them for several moments, then laughed. "You're too late. You can't stop me." He smiled. "Happy hunting," he said as he dissolved before the security chief's eyes. "Damn. Where'd he go?" screamed the aggravated Garibaldi. One of the other guards held up a small scanning implement. "I'm didn't read any life signs. Looks like he was never here." "Hologram?" "Appears so." "Ah, hell. So now we're back where we started." *** "So, Captain," sighed General Jethro's voice from the communications terminal, "you have no proof that there a conspiracy dealing with the Race, and it will go forth. The Earth Alliance will not be humiliated in front of hundreds of other worlds." Sheridan glared at Jethro. "My security chief believes-" "We know all about your security chief. He claims there was a conspiracy to kill President Santiago, but our best people say it was an accident." Jethro leaned forward towards Sheridan. "The race will go forward. Am I clear?" Sheridan returned Jethro's glare and muttered, "Crystal." The screen blanked out, leaving Sheridan shaking his head and grimacing. He turned to Ivanova. "Well, you heard the General. Continue with the Race preparations." "Aye, sir," said Ivanova with a small salute. She walked over to her station and recalled the list of Race entries. She glanced at the total number: 104. She selected Zimmerman and hit the delete key. She looked back at the total: 104. She called for Sheridan. "Captain, I've just deleted Zimmerman's entry from the Race manifest, but the total number of entries has remained the same." "Hmm," mused Sheridan. "Is there a new entry?" "Checking now, sir." Ivanova's fingers moved across the keypad, then she turned to Sheridan. "Yes... Zimmerman's entry was replaced by another Centauri entry... Milar Parmir." "Do a search for him in the Centauri database." "Yes, sir..." started Ivanova, then, startled, she exclaimed, "Wait a minute! This here says his ship exploded upon takeoff several days ago." "That can't be a coincidence. Notify the Centauri government of what we've found immediately." "Of course, sir." Chapter Three Londo Mollari was pacing back and forth in his quarters, thinking aloud, when the door chimed and Vir walked in. "What is it, Vir? I'm busy." "Um..." stuttered Vir, "Centauri Prime has sent us their decision on the Race tomorrow." "Who have they chosen?" "Er... they've picked me, Ambassador. Me!" Londo almost fell of his chair laughing. "You, Vir? They picked you? They must be more crazy than I thought!" "But Ambassador... I don't know how to fly in a race!" Londo turned to face Vir. "Well, what kind of ship are they giving you?" Vir consulted his datapad, "A modified XL3 Gamma-class fighter." "Great Maker, that's a fast ship. Well, good luck, Vir." Londo started laughing again. *** "Welcome to the First Annual Intergalactic Starship Race," boomed the loudspeaker. People were gathered in the many observation areas on Babylon Five, in addition to on the one hundred and four ships floating behind the flashing marker lights designating the starting place. The announcer continued, "As you may be aware, this race is not simply one of speed, but of maneuverability and skill as well. Each entry must conform to a set path, set off by markers, that include straightaway, curves, and even a dip into a star's gravity well. Good luck, and may the best win." The red marker lights changed to amber, then green, and the ships, which ranged from individually-piloted space yachts to a large Narn battle frigate, took off. The Race started with a long straightaway out towards the area where Babylon Four used to exist, and already the speedier ships were starting to make their mark. At the forefront of the Race, the lead ship was a small one-man Centauri fighter, engines on full, going like there was no tomorrow. Vir was sitting in the cockpit, holding on for dear life, practically in tears, but the observers certainly weren't aware of that. *** In the observation lounge off of C&C Sheridan turned to Londo, "Nice race, don't you think?" "Yes, I do." Ivanova also turned to face Londo. "That Centauri ship sure must have a complete maniac at driving it. Who's the pilot, anyway?" "Vir." "Yes," muttered Ivanova. "I was right." She turned and walked over to another of the windows, to get a better view. She squinted at the jumpgate. She tapped her link. "Ivanova to C&C. Is there any traffic due through the gate anytime soon?" "No, Commander. Why do you ask?" "I thought I saw some sort of energy residue around the area." "We're not picking anything up." "All right then, never mind. Ivanova out." Sheridan sidled up against her. "Problem, Commander?" "No, sir." *** Aboard the Narn war frigate Mevlar, there was a lot of activity. They were in third place in the Race, behind the Centauri fighter and a private yacht. The crew of fifteen was working to increase the power to the main engines when the tactical officer suddenly shouted out, "Captain, I'm reading an increase in zeta particles!" The commander of the Narn ship turned and barked, "Source?" The tactical officer punched a command into her console, then turned and replied. "It's coming from the jumpgate, sir." "Is there something coming through?" "Negative... this radiation is consistent with no known pattern." "What is it?" "I have no-" was as far as she got before the Narn ship suddenly was hit by a particle beam and blown to pieces. Chapter Four Sheridan watched the explosion of the Narn frigate, then hit his link. "C&C: What the hell was that?" The duty officer's reply was heard through Sheridan's link. "Unknown, Captain. Wait... something's coming through the jumpgate." "Have you got an ID?" "Identification confirmed: Earth Force heavy cruiser! It's the Lowell." Sheridan ran towards the lift, followed closely by Ivanova. The lift took them to C&C, where they departed. The large ship was hanging in space in front of them, with all the markings of an Earth Force ship. And its gun ports were pointed straight at Babylon Five. The communications officer turned and spoke to Sheridan. "Captain! General Jethro is hailing you on Gold Channel Five." Sheridan suddenly looked pale. "On visual." The Gold Channel communications screen flashed onto the main C&C visual monitor, followed by General Jethro's face. "Sheridan!" "Yes, sir," replied the captain, saluting. "You have allowed a known traitor into this Race, and I demand to know why." "Sir?" said Sheridan. "I don't know what you're-" "Don't play dumb with me, Captain. I know what you're doing. I know, Captain," Jethro snarled. "Why don't you give me the right answer this time." "General, there must be some sort of misunderstanding. All the Race entries were cleared by the Race Committee. If there's some sort of problem, you can take it up with them." "Wrong answer, Captain." Jethro's face blinked off the screen. The duty officer walked up to Sheridan. "Sir, Ambassador G'Kar wants to demands to speak with you. He wants to know why his planet's ship was shot down by an Earth Alliance ves-" Before the officer could finish his sentence, the sensor officer screamed out, "Captain! The Lowell is launching fighters!" Sheridan snapped to attention. "Defensive grid to full power. Delta and Zeta wings, prepare for deployment. Communications, get me Jethro!" The communications officer stabbed some buttons on her control, then turned back. "He's not responding, Captain!" The duty officer spoke again. "Delta and Zeta wings report ready for launch." The sensor officer yelled over to Sheridan. "Captain, the Lowell is firing on us!" Sheridan took a deep breath. "Launch fighters." Babylon 5's fighter wings dropped laterally out of the station, then activated their thrusters and turned to face the Lowell. The fighter wings of the Lowell turned and engaged B5's fighters, showing no unwillingness to kill. The Starfury fighters of Babylon Five fought back with surprising tenacity. By the end of the battle, almost all of the Lowell's fighters were destroyed or damaged, which made the path clear for taking out the Lowell itself. Warren Keffer, Zeta squadron leader, spoke into his radio, "Babylon Control, this is Zeta wing. Request permission to engage the Lowell." Back on Babylon Five, Sheridan looked troubled. "One moment, Zeta wing." He turned again to the communications officer, "Try to raise General Jethro." "Still no response, Captain." "Damn..." sighed Sheridan. "Zeta wing, you are cleared to fire on the Lowell." "Aye, sir," responded Keffer as he nudged his Starfury closer to the large cruiser. His fighters deployed themselves around the ship, and flew towards it. He reached down towards the button to fire lasers. At C&C, the communications officer turned to Sheridan. "Captain! I'm getting a message from the Lowell!" Sheridan turned and straightened. "Zeta wing, halt attack. On screen, Lieutenant." Jethro's face popped up onto the display monitor. "Captain! I can't believe you'd fire on this vessel. You must be an even greater fool than I thought you were." "General, I must ask you to surrender now, or I will be forced to destroy your ship." "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, do you. No idea." Sheridan turned to Ivanova, "Open communications to Zeta wing. Tell them to commence attack on the Lowell." "Yes, sir," affirmed Ivanova as she punched the command into her console. Warren Keffer nudged his Starfury just a teensy bit closer to the large ship, and pushed the fire button. Chapter Five At just that moment, the ground under Sheridan's feet on Babylon Five shook, and the fighters encircling the Lowell suddenly flew away from the ship. Voices started streaming into the captains ear from all directions. "Captain, there's been an explosion in Green...Ambassador G'Kar demands to speak with...squadron losing power, drifting away...and Ambassador Mollari have been injured...reported in Brown twelve and fourteen...Lowell is firing on...leak in sectors Green six and three...losing primary power...are receiving emergency signals from..." As Sheridan and the other Control personnel attempted to deal with the situation, Sheridan's ear picked up something that struck him, in all the confusion, as rather odd. "Great Maker... the Lowell has just vanished!" Sheridan turned and looked at where the large ship had been just moments before. He snapped out, "Where the hell is it?" "I don't know, sir... wait a minute, it's reappeared ten thousand kilometers away... in sector fifty-three." Sheridan's face glowed with understanding. "The finish line. Give me a status report on the Race." Ivanova stepped forward and adjusted the sensor display to show the Race's finish line. were some ships off in the distance, but none had arrived yet. Suddenly the sensor officer called out, "Captain! I'm reading a Centauri fighter on direct course for the Lowell. Fifteen seconds to impact." Realization crossed Sheridan's face. "Vir..." he muttered. From another part of C&C, the communications officer's voice rang out. "Sir! Zeta squadron reports they are now in position around the Lowell's new position and are awaiting confirmation to fire." "Ten seconds," intoned the sensor officer. Sheridan watched the sensor display as the small one-man ship flew its course straight into the mouth of the Earth Force heavy cruiser, not slowing one bit. "Five seconds... Four... Three... Two... One..." Vir's ship flew into the side of the large ship, smashing the entire port bulkhead before careening off into empty space." The larger battleship drifted drunkenly on its vertical axis, sparks flying everywhere. "Captain," called the communications officer, "Zeta squadron request orders." Sheridan glanced at the sensor display, then stared up into the stars. "Fire at will." The five Starfuries' laser beams rang out at the Lowell, making direct contact with its vital systems. And with a large explosion, the ship was gone except for a small escape pod that flew off out of the ship just before it was destroyed. "Captain, General Jethro is hailing us from the lifeboat." Sheridan grimaced slightly, "Let's see it." Jethro's face appeared on the display screen for a second, then changed into the sneering visage of Roy Zimmerman. "You may have won the battle, Captain, but you haven't won the war. Not by a long shot." Zimmerman's face blinked off the console. Sheridan turned to his officers. "Have Zeta squadron pursue him." "Yes sir," affirmed the communications officer, before turning once more to Sheridan. "Sir, it's moving too fast. They can't keep up with it." Sheridan's face looked grim. "Have Beta squadron launch and deploy them around the station area. I want to catch this bastard." "Yes, sir.. wait a minute... what the hell?" Sheridan turned, the alarm on his face becoming clear. "What is it, Lieutenant?" "The escape pod... it's disappeared." The sensor officer turned to Sheridan and spoke slowly. "Captain, I'm getting an energy reading from the jumpgate. Looks like something just went into it." "Damn," swore Sheridan to himself softly. He glared back up into space, regretting the day he had ever agreed to host this cursed Race, and set out to solve the problems that had presented themselves thus far. *** Sheridan, Ivanova and Garibaldi were sitting in Sheridan's office discussing the events that had played out that day. The situation did not look good. At the moment the station had shaken, an explosive had gone off Green Twelve, most likely installed by Roy Zimmerman, that had taken out most of the Centauri Ambassadorial quarters. While Londo had been badly injured, luckily he was going to be fine. More in question was the status of Vir Cotto, who was in Medlab due to injuries sustained during his recent adventures. Meanwhile, Ambassador G'Kar was indignant about the attack on a Narn ship by an Earth Force ship, and demanded that the Earth Alliance be held responsible for the death of fifteen Narn military officers. In short, he wanted answers that Sheridan was not able to give. And most confusing was the apparent instant teleportation of the Lowell and it's escape pod, a feat not possible with Earth Alliance technology. The officers were at a loss. Chapter Six Captain John Sheridan sighed. He had come out of the meeting with his executive officer and chief of security understanding less about the recent situation than he had to begin with. He was despondent about ever finding out what the hell was going on, and just when he figured nothing else could go wrong, his link beeped and a voice came through it's tiny speaker. "Captain, this is Warren Keffer. Two of my men just fainted dead away." Sheridan looked quite startled. "What? Have you contacted Medlab?" "Yes, sir. Doctor Hernandez said it was just exhaustion. But the circumstances of the fainting was too weird, if I may, sir." Sheridan frowned. "Of course, Lieutenant, I'll be right down." "Yes, sir," replied Keffer. "I'm in Blue thirty-four." Sheridan's link beeped again and the connection between him and Keffer dropped. Sheridan walked towards the lift, wondering why the Squad Leader for Zeta Squadron was calling him from one of the station's waste reclamation facilities. *** Doctor Stephen Franklin walked out of Medlab's operating chamber with a slight smile on his face. Vir was going to be okay. After crashing a small one-man fighter into the side of an Earth Force heavy cruiser, it was surprising Vir was in as good a condition as he was. He was a lucky Centauri. He walked over to his desk, and bumped into Londo Mollari. Londo looked worried. "Is Vir going to be all right, Doctor?" Franklin turned to Londo, "Yes, Ambassador. He's going to be fine." Londo sighed with relief. "Good... Thank you, Doctor. Great Maker, I wonder what possessed him to fly his ship right into that Earth warship." *** "Looks like it was some sort of weapon, Commander." Warren Keffer pointed to a mass of melted lump of metal and plastic sitting inside one of the many tubes amongst the machinery in the forward waste reclamation facility of Babylon Five. Keffer explained to Captain Sheridan what had happened. "See, Captain, I noticed that the wastebasket in the fighter-pilot's lounge seemed to be working at less than top efficiency. So I sent Flagg and Hoskins down here to see if something was messed up with at the other end." Sheridan nodded and Keffer continued. "So I wait a bit, and then I get linked by Flagg, to say he's arrived. Then I hear a scream, and nothing more comes through. I ran down here, and found them unconscious on the ground. I called Medlab, and then started looking around." Keffer gestured towards the melted lump he and Sheridan had been looking at. "When I got near here, there was a little explosion. I think this thing self-destructed, to prevent me from seeing exactly what it was." "But you think it was some sort of weapon," Sheridan prodded. "Yes, I do. I don't know why... it's just a feeling." Sheridan nodded. "All right then, I'll have it sent down to the lab for analysis. We'll figure this one out, Lieutenant." *** "Please come to order everyone, please," said the speaker. When everyone had settled down, he hefted a large golden trophy and spoke again into the microphone. "This first place award goes to the winner of the First Intergalactic Starship Race.... Vir Cotto, of the Centauri Republic!" The crown went wild, some cheering, some less committal. Still, the response was overwhelming. Vir walked up to the podium, and grabbed hold of the large trophy. Turning to the crowd, he ducked his head and raised one hand to give a small wave, when his other hand lost its grip on the trophy, causing it to fall, Vir to trip and fall into the crowd, trampling three humans, a Minbari and half a dozen Drazi in the process. Londo Mollari shook his head in disgust, walked over to Vir and said, "Come on, Vir, let's go to my quarters before you make even more of a fool of yourself than you already have." Vir pulled himself up off the ground and tripped his way over to where Londo was standing. "Yes, Ambassador." Chapter Seven Ambassador Londo Mollari, the Centauri Republic's representative on Babylon Five, was pacing in his quarters, speaking to his aide, Vir Cotto. "I don't get it, Vir. What in the three hells caused you to take your fighter and smash it straight into the side of a heavily armed Earth Force warship?" Vir's voice stuttered and stumbled. "Well, Ambassador, I was running the race, and I was going pretty fast, and I was having trouble seeing... where I was going I mean, and I couldn't think straight, and..." "Vir," spoke Londo with a warning tone in his voice. "Can't you give me a straight answer for once?" Vir looked as if he was about to answer, when suddenly his eyes slid up into the back of his head, and he fell to the ground. Londo reached over to the computer terminal. "Medical Emergency! Somebody get here quick!" He was about to prod Vir's unmoving body when he saw an explosion go off in the corner of his room. *** Garibaldi walked up to Sheridan. "Captain, I've got the lab results on those things in Londo's quarters and the waste reclamation plant." Sheridan turned, interested. "And?" "Apparently they were pulse-cannons; from 21st century Earth." Sheridan nodded. "That would explain the fainting." "Yes, sir," began Garibaldi. "But there's one more thing. The power ratios coming from these things are way out of whack." "Do they match any known power source?" "Not exactly. But if I had to make a guess, I'd say they were Centauri." *** Vir Cotto opened his eyes to reveal that he was in Medlab. Dr. Stephen Franklin walked over to the bed where Vir was lying. "You're going to be fine. Don't worry." "Wh-What happened to me?" Vir stuttered. "You got hit by a pulse-cannon, a weapon. It knocked you out. But you'll be fine. You can go now," assured Franklin, gesturing towards the door. Vir scratched his neck. "Thank you, doctor," he said as he walked out into the corridor. On his way to his quarters, Vir passed Lennier, the Minbari ambassador's aide. Vir waved. "Hello, Lennier. Where are you off to?" Lennier bowed to Vir. "I am on my way to Medlab, to visit Doctor Franklin." Vir cocked his head. "Why?" Lennier turned to face his peer. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you that." "Oh," muttered Vir as he scurried off to his room. Lennier watched Vir Cotto disappear down the corridor, then turned and continued towards Medlab. Arriving at the facility, he walked briskly to Franklin's office. Looking up, Stephen Franklin saw Lennier staring down at him. "What can I do for you, Lennier?" Lennier composed himself, and spoke softly but firmly. "Ambassador Delenn has sent me to ask you for a favor..." *** Ambassador G'Kar, of the Narn Regime, paced back and forth in front of Sheridan's desk. "Captain, a Narn ship was destroyed yesterday. Do you deny this?" Sheridan sighed, "No." "And this ship was destroyed by an Earth Force vessel, no?" "That has yet to be determined," protested Sheridan. G'Kar looked annoyed. "Come now, Captain. The Earth Alliance's own records show that the Earth Force ship Lowell never showed up at its appointed post at this time. And no one has seen it since. Is this not true?" Sheridan looked grim. "Yes, it is true. But it was not under the control of-" "But nothing, Captain," snarled G'Kar. "Who was in charge of the vessel is not our concern. One of our ships was shot down by an Earth Alliance ship, and we demand reparations and justice. Justice, Captain. We demand justice. And we will have it." G'Kar slammed his fist down on the table and stormed out the door of Sheridan's office, passing by Commander Susan Ivanova who was entering the room. Glancing at G'Kar, she turned to Sheridan. "Bad day, Captain?" Sheridan nodded. "Tell me about it." Ivanova sat down. "It may have just gotten worse." Sighing, Sheridan asked, "What is it this time?" "Ambassador Kosh is demanding to speak with you," stated Ivanova plainly. "He claims its urgent. And Kosh almost never says anything positive." Sheridan nodded. "I'll go see him immediately." Chapter Eight Captain John Sheridan, commander of the Babylon 5 station, walked into the room occupied by Kosh Naranek, the Vorlon Ambassador. The Vorlon had different atmospheric requirements than humans, so Sheridan had to wear a breather that supplied him with a stream of the nitrogen-oxygen air combination his body was designed to breath. Sheridan glanced about for the Ambassador. Finally he found him, standing in a stream of methane, in the corner of the room. Kosh was, as always, wearing his encounter suit, covering every inch of his body, for reasons unknown by Sheridan. "You wanted to speak with me?" inquired Sheridan. Musical tones escaped from Kosh's body, then were converted into English speech by a mechanical device contained in Kosh's encounter suit. "That which strays from home must in time return." Sheridan was puzzled. "Ambassador?" Kosh turned and floated off into another corner of the room. The door behind Sheridan slid open, and he walked out. Kosh often had strange things to say, but this was one of the strangest he had heard. Tired, he walked to his quarters and fell asleep. *** The next morning, Sheridan woke and groggily looked at the clock by his bed, his eyes slowly adjusting to the light. "Damn, I'm late," he muttered, quickly taking a shower and throwing on a uniform. Considering the circumstances, he had planned on being early. So much for that. He hurried quickly to his office. When he arrived, he found that the lights were off. They should have gone on immediately upon his opening the door. He called out to the computer, "Lights." "SURPRISE!" About a dozen station personnel jumped out from hiding in his room. Garibaldi walked up to Sheridan. "Happy birthday, sir." "Thank you," muttered Sheridan. "What is all this?" "Hey, don't blame me. It was Ambassador Delenn's idea." "Ambassador... Delenn?" repeated the puzzled station commander. "Yes, Captain," came the soft voice of the Minbari ambassador. "This is a human tradition, is it not?" Sheridan smiled. "Yes, it is. It just... surprised me, is all." Delenn's aide, Lennier walked up next to the ambassador. "But I believe surprise is the point, isn't it Captain?" "Yes," nodded Delenn. "Many things in life will surprise us, Captain Sheridan. It is better to be surprised with something pleasant," she said, gesturing towards the crowd, "that with the unpleasant." Sheridan nodded, then took a bite of the birthday cake that Dr. Franklin had slid into his hand. It tasted quite good. *** Garibaldi sat down at Sheridan's desk. Glancing around him, he couldn't find one trace of the party earlier that morning. Turning back to face Sheridan, he said, "You wanted to see me, Captain?" "Yes, I did. I've been thinking about this Roy Zimmerman issue." "Have you thought of anything." "Yes, I have." Sheridan swiveled in his chair to face Garibaldi. "I've been thinking of what we know about him. Who did he claim to represent?" "The Centauri." "Who's entry in the race did he most likely kill?" "The Centauri one," answered Garibaldi, "but..." Sheridan held up his hand. "Wait. Who's ambassador did harm." "The Centauri." "Indeed, what race eventually stopped him?" "Vir," mused the puzzled security chief, "The Centauri, I guess." Sheridan placed his hand on the table in front of him. "The Centauri... I was talking to Ambassador Kosh last night. He told me 'That which strays from home must in time return.'" "Sir?" "Tell Ambassador Mollari I need to talk to him immediately. Then pack your bags. You're going to Centauri Prime." *** Londo Mollari was standing in front of Sheridan's desk. "Let me see if I have this straight, Captain: You want me to allow you to send some of your men to Centauri Prime to conduct an Earth Alliance investigation?" "Yes, Ambassador. That's correct." "You must be out of your mind. There is no way my government will allow this to..." Sheridan interrupted Londo. "I think they will. The Narn Regime wants this situation resolved, and-" "Since when do we care what the Narns want?" spat Londo. "And," repeated Sheridan, "the Earth Alliance wants to avoid any potential conflict with the Narn. They want this thing solved. And if necessary, they will enact trade sanctions to and from Centauri worlds." "You wouldn't." "Yes, I would. The economic affects on your Republic would not be good, Ambassador, as I'm sure you realize." Londo threw his hands into the air. "Fine, you can go." "I'll expect to see the necessary paperwork on my desk before tomorrow morning." "Yes, of course you will." Chapter Nine Commander Susan Ivanova was sitting at her console in the Babylon 5 Command and Control area when she noticed Captain Sheridan enter the room. She got up from her chair and walked over to him. "I take it those are the forms from the Centauri?" she queried, pointing at the stack of papers in Sheridan's hand. "Yes, they are. The investigation team is leaving in three hours." "And who is this team, if I may ask, sir?" "You, Garibaldi and Keffer." "Me, sir?" "Yes." "When exactly were you planning on telling me this?" Sheridan smiled and handed her the stack of papers he held in his hands. "Here's the paperwork. Go find Garibaldi and Keffer, fill them in, and get packed." Ivanova saluted. "Yes, sir." *** Londo Mollari, Centauri ambassador to Babylon 5, fixated his aide, Vir Cotto, with a glare that could have melted ice. "You did WHAT?" Vir slid sideways a bit, his head twitching nervously. "Ambassador G'Kar invited us to dinner tonight. I, um... told him we'd come." "You idiot," screamed Londo, shaking his head. "There's only one thing worse than having to live on the same station as a Narn, and that's eating with them." "Well then," stumbled Vir, "I could call Ambassador G'Kar and tell him you're not coming..." "No," scowled Londo. "I represent the Centauri. And we do not refuse a dinner invitation. Ever." Vir looked confused. "But you said..." "Vir, go. I need to get some sleep." *** "Delta Sigma Niner, you are cleared for launch," came the voice over the tinny speaker. Ivanova swiveled her chair over to the radio, "Roger, Babylon Control, launching now." She motioned to Warren Keffer, who touched a control on a panel next to him. The small three-man cruiser drifted up into Babylon 5's loading bay, and, engines blazing, made its way towards the jumpgate. The ship was one of the station's ten Delta Sigma class vessel, a small ship designed mainly for short-range shuttle work, i.e. taking passengers back and forth between large starliners or freight ships. This, the ninth Delta Sigma, had been named "Straczynski," for the 20th century's most famous novelist. As the Straczynski flew into the jumpgate, Ivanova leaned back in her chair. They weren't set to arrive at Centauri Prime for another three hours, and she had decided to get some rest. *** "So, Ambassador Mollari," said G'Kar, resting his glass on the table, "It was so very kind of you to accept our offer to dine with us." "Yes, it was," Londo scowled at Vir. "We just couldn't refuse.": Na'Toth looked over at Vir, who was twirling his food with a fork. "Are you enjoying your meal?" she asked. Vir stopped twirling the malformed pasta-like substance around the eating implement, and nervously glanced up at Na'Toth. "Um... er.." Londo took his own fork, placed a large helping of the 'food' into his mouth, swallowed, grimaced, and said, "Yes, we love it." Vir's face started to turn a slight shade of green as he excused himself from the table and ran towards the bathroom. Ambassador G'Kar smiled. Chapter Ten Michael Garibaldi, security chief of Babylon 5, was en route to Centauri Prime, as were Warren Keffer and Susan Ivanova, to investigate an act of terrorism against the station. Ivanova and Keffer were asleep in their chairs, and Garibaldi was leaning against the console, resting. Hyperspace gets boring real fast. Suddenly, Garibaldi's eyes went wide, and he screamed, "What the hell is that?" Ivanova fell out of her chair, startled by the unexpected noise. "What! What is it?" Garibaldi leaned back, smiled, and softly said, "Gotcha." Ivanova's face turned two shades darker, and as she stood and straightened her unifrom, she said "Mr. Garibaldi, you are-" "Commander," interrupted Warren Keffer, "We're approaching the Centauri jumpgate." Ivanova turned to face him, while Garibaldi smiled and sighed. "All right, prepare to exit hyperspace." *** Captain John Sheridan, commander of Babylon 5, stared at the face on his visual display. "I don't understand. I thought-" President Clark interrupted Sheridan, saying, "It doesn't matter what you thought. Earthdome wants this thing solved. The events described in your report are clearly breaches of Earth Alliance security. We are sending our own investigation team to Babylon 5. That's the end of it." Sheridan sighed. "We can conduct our own investigation. We have our own team on its way to Centauri Prime to follow up on a very possible lead." "That's all well and good, but we cannot pass by the possibility that the perpetrator is on Babylon 5 now, or has left clues there. So we will conduct the investigation. Period." "Yes, Mr. President," said Sheridan as the screen flashed off. *** Ambassador Londo Mollari, of the Centauri Republic, was sitting at a table in a Narn restarurant in Babylon 5's Zocalo, with Ambassador G'Kar of the Narn Regime. Londo's aide, Vir Cotto, had just excused himself due to the reaction of his system to the Narn food. G'Kar smiled. "So, Mollari, it is nice to see that your aide is performing so... admirably in his duties." "Yes," snarled Londo, "He is. Now will you let me eat my dinner in peace, or shall I leave?" "I'm only trying to be respectful," replied G'Kar. "Respect... from a Narn? That'll be the day." G'Kar took a drink from his cup, then set it down on the table. "Really, Ambassador, I'd think you could be a bit more courtieus." "Oh? And why is that." The Narn Ambssador leaned close to Londo's ear, and whispered, "Because that is your only choice." Londo stood up, spat into his dish, and left the room. Chapter Twelve Coming through the jumpgate into orbit around Centauri Prime, the Straczynski, one of Babylon 5's small three-man cruisers, opened communications to the orbital control station. Ivanova spoke into the small radio transmitter aboard the ship. "This is the Earth Alliance vessel Straczynski, from Babylon 5, requesting permission to land." The Centauri voice came back over the radio. "Affirmative, Straczynski, you are cleared to land at landing pad 47A." Ivanova closed the channel and deftly landed the craft on the planet surface. She, Garibaldi and Keffer stepped out of their ship and were greeted by a tall Centauri man, wearning a dull orange uniform. Ivanova shook his hand, and identified herself. "Hello. I'm Commander Susan Ivanova, from Babylon 5." "Hello, Commander, my name is Rentash Morlo, and you're under arrest." Ivanova straightened her uniform jacked. "Excuse me? We're here to conduct an Earth Alliance investigation into a murder. We have authorization from Ambassador Londo Mollari." Rentash spat. "We don't recognize Ambassador Mollari's authority. And I have here a signed arrest warrent from the Regional Governer himself. So if you'll come with me, Commander..." "Wait a minute. What about my companions." Shrugging, Rentash replied, "I have no instructions regarding them. They'll be free to go. I believe the Centauri government is sending someone to receive them." Ivanova's eyes narrowed, and as she was dragged off by Rentash, Keffer turned to Garibaldi. "Do you know what any of this is about?" "I haven't the faintest idea." *** Captain John Sheridan, commander of Babylon 5, stood in the docking bay of his station and watched the twenty or so Earth Alliance Intelligince agents walk off their ship. Their leader walked up to Sheridan. "Are you Sheridan?" Surprised by the man's brusqueness, he replied, "Yes, I am." "Good. My name is Garr Aaronson. Now get out of my way, I have an investigation to conduct." Sheridan sighed, stepped sideways, wishing fervently he hadn't sent his security cheif, Michael Garibaldi, to Centauri Prime. This would not be a pleasant week. *** Lennier, aide to Ambassador Delenn, was walking down a corridor in Red Fourteen. Suddenly, a hand was clasped on his mouth, his hands sequestered behind his back, and he heard a gruff voice in his ear. "Now, if I take my hand off your mouth, you're going to behave yourself, aren't you?" Feeling the cold, hard shape of a PPG's barrel up against his back, Lennier nodded. "Good," said the voice, and he removed the hand. "Now walk." Lennier took a step forward, then spun around and delivered a kick to the man's head, knocking him down. Keeping his body in the posture decreed by a Minbari form of marital art, he glanced down at the body he had just felled. He gasped. It was Roy Zimmerman. *** Michael Garibaldi was sitting in the hotel room the Centauri government has provided for him and Warren Keffer, when the communications terminal beeped. He reached over and hit the receive button. The face of Captain Sheridan appeared on the screen. "Michael, we found Zimmerman, here on the station." "Damn." "He tried to kidnap Lennier. Still in Medlab. I need you. How soon can you get here?" Garibaldi sighed. "We have a slight problem. Commander Ivanova's been arrested." "Arrested? Do you know why?" "No. We're still trying to figure that out. Until she's released, we can't come." "Understood. Keep me informed. Sheridan out." On Babylon 5, Garilaldi's face flashed off of the screen in front of Sheridan. Garr Aaronson stepped into the captain's view. "See, Captain? Nothing but trouble came from sending your team to Centauri Prime. Now if you don't mind, I have an investigation to conduct." Sheridan sighed as Aaronson strode off of C&C. This day was getting worse by the minute Chapter Twelve Commander Susan Ivanova, executive officer of Babylon 5, sat in a jail cell on Centauri Prime. She had been arrested by a Rentash Morlo upon arriving on the planet, and no reason had been given. She glanced up and the door slid open and Rentash walked in. Rising to her feet, she exclaimed, "I demand to know why I am being held here!" Rentash glanced at her, closed the door and stood facing her. Ivanova watched in horror as his figure transformed itself suddenly into General Matthew Jethro, of Earth Force. The man responsible, in part, for the problems that had beset Babylon 5 for the last week. She screamed out, and Jethro cupped his hand over her mouth. "Be quiet, Commander. You've been arrested for your own protection. I'm not here to hurt you." Ivanova cocked an eyebrow and fixed Jethro with a stare that showed exactly what she thought of that idea. The general shrugged and handed her a peice of paper. "Earth Force Intelligence intercepted this on a coded Centauri frequency. Took us five days to crack it." Ivanova cautiously took the peice of paper and glanced down at it. It contained four words: 'Get rid of Ivanova'. She looked up at Jethro, still suspicious. "And I'm supposed to believe you?" "No," he allowed, "But you seem to have no other choice." He swung open the door. "You're free to go, if you wish. I'd stick close to that Garibaldi of yours, though, if I were you." And with that, Jethro left the room. *** On the observation deck outside Medlab, Captain John Sheridan walked up next to Lennier, the Minbari ambassador's aide. Looking in on Medlab's main surgery room, he watched Dr. Franklin operate on Roy Zimmerman, a man who had been charged by the Earth Alliance with, among other things, murder, sabotage, conspiracy and treason. And the Narns... well, what they had in mind for him was not something Sheridan cared to consider. His interest picked up when he saw Franklin leave the operating chamber by way of its revolving door. He scurried down into Medlab to talk with him. "How's the patient, Doctor?" "I'm not sure he's going to make it. I've done all I can, but he has a lot of internal bleeding. It's hard to tell." Lennier walked up beside Sheridan. "I'm sorry for any trouble I may have caused." "It's all right Lennier," assured Sheridan. "You did what you had to do." Franklin frowned. "Lennier, you said you just kicked him, correct?" The Minbari nodded. "Yes, Doctor. I used a form of Minbari self-defense known as-" Sheridan silenced Lennier with a hand movement, then asked Franklin, "Why? Is there is problem with that?" "It's just that his injuries don't seem to be caused by any sort of external pressure, such as a kick. I'd say they appear to have been caused by a massive electrical shock." Sheridan nodded. "Some kind of weapon he was carrying, perhaps? Lennier might have set it off accidently." "Could be," Franklin agreed. "Or it could have been a suicude method, to prevent capture and interrogation." "Possibly." *** "My dear G'Kar!" exclaimed Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari upon seeing his colleage from the Narn Regime. G'Kar grimaced and turned to face Londo. "What is it, Mollari? I'm busy." "I thought you might like to know: Na'Toth fell out of an airlock." "WHAT!?!?" Londo smiled. "Fooled you." G'Kar grimaced. "Some day, Mollari, you will find a knife in your back. And I will have put it there." "I'm looking forward to it very much, my dear G'Kar." G'Kar drew in a sharp breath, moaned slightly, and walked away. *** Michael Garibaldi and Warren Keffer were sitting in their hotel room when Ivanova walked in. She quickly explained what had happened, then asked them if they had discovered anything. "Yeah," said Garibaldi, motioning towards the computer terminal. "The Centauri police net reports that three changeling nets have been reported missing from their technology division. I did a bit of digging, and found that one was taken by Jethro and one was stolen by a man matching the description of Zimmerman." Ivanova frowned. "And the other?" Garibaldi shook his head. "I don't know. But I'd bet the Mars Colony that it'll show up before the week is out." Chapter Thirteen Garr Aaronson, leader of the investigation team sent to Babylon 5 by President Clark, stood in front of Sheridan's desk. He did not look happy. "Captain Sheridan. I was sent here to conduct an investigation into an attack on an Earth Alliance station. And at every step of this investiation, you have been there to block my team. I don't appreciate that" Sheridan looked up at Aaronson. "With all due respect, I have done everything in my power to-" "Save it, commander," interrupted Aaronson, slipping a piece of paper into Sheridan's hand. "By the authority of President Clark, I am taking command of Babylon 5, as of now." Just then, Sheridan's link beeped and the duty officer's voice could be heard. "Captain! We just detected an Earth Force heavy cruiser coming out of the jump gate!" Sheridan jumped up, slapped the link forcefully, and shouted. "What? Do you have an identi-" Aaronson grabbed the link from Sheridan's hand. "I'll take that." He spoke calmly into it. "This is Garr Aaronson. I have just releived Captain Sheridan of active duty. All further communications should be made to me. Now, do you have an identification of the ship?" Sheridan glowered at Aaronson while the voice on the other end nervously responded. "Yes, sir. It's the EAS Phoenix." Cocking an eyebrow, Sheridan realized that the Phoenix was the personal ship of General Mark Aaronson, a high ranking member of Earth For... Sheridan's train of thought suddely broke off as he stared at the man standing in front of him with renewed interest. Yes, he looked about the right age to be General Aaronson's son. Sheridan sighed. It was sad that even in this supposedly civilized age, nepotism was still among the human race. Realizing he would never win this battle, he resigned himself to winning the war later on. Leaving his own office under the 'care' of Garr Aaronson, he sulked off to his quarters. *** Susan Ivanova was sitting at the desk in a hotel room on Centauri Prime. Michael Garibaldi and Warren Keffer were sleeping on nearby beds. Ivanova was leaned back, and, since she was unable to sleep, had cracked open a book and begun reading. It was Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." An aphorism that was not quite apt to the current situation, which was surely nowhere near the best of times. Being on Centauri Prime while the real action was going on on Babylon 5, armed with the knowledge that a price had been put on her head here on the Centauri homeworld, Ivanova was not a happy woman. She settled into her book, and as she read, she realized that just the first paragraph, while written in 1859, four hundred years ago, it still was applicable to the present time. "It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity." She thought of Commander Sinclair, and his deeply religious, and profound views. But there were always the Centauri, who's religion could best be described as 'racaus'. "It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of dispair." Earth was entering a new age, spearheaded by Babylon 5, an age of coexistance with other races, of galactic unity. Yet there were chilling events of recent past that pointed to a more dismal future: Homegaurd, the Psi Corps, and of course, G'Kar's predicitions of an attack from an ancient, powerful enemy. "We had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going the other way." By the same token, humans were on the verge of greatness, yet future history has not been written yet, and humans have been shown to be a people ridden with difficulty. "In short, the period was so far like the present period," a statement at which Ivanova laughed out loud. Indeed, it was like the present, both that of 1859 and that of 2259. Looking down to continue reading, she was jolted upright by a PPG blast just narrowly missing her head. She turned, and saw that three masked men had entered the room and were firing at her. She dropped the book and rolled on the ground over to Garibaldi's bed. She yelled at him to wake up, and grabbing the PPG from under his pillow, she returned fire. Garibaldi rose dove towards the feet of one of the men, knocking him out cold, while Ivanova took out the another one with the PPG. The third dodged Garbidldi's lunge and retreated back out the door to where he came. Reeling from the shock, Garibaldi turned to see Keffer open his eyes and groggily ask, "Wha? What happened?" Ivanova reached down to retrieve the book, and noticed that it had opened to the final page. Her eyes rested on the final sentance of the book: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." Looking down at the fallen bodies, and over at Garibaldi and Keffer, she realized that as long as human greed and ambition existed, the 'best of times' truely would be that final resting place to which Dickens had so correctly written. *** Doctor Franklin sighed. He took off his gloves and went over to the other side of Medlab, activated the comm terminal, and contacted Sheridan. His face appeared on the viewer. "Doctor Franklin," he noted. "Captain, I thought you'd like to know. Roy Zimmerman is dead. I couldn't save him." Sheridan nodded. "You did your best, I'm sure. Have you contacted Mr. Aaronson?" "No, I wanted to contact you first." "All right. Sheridan out." As Sheridan's face faded to black, Franklin heard a sound coming from behind him. He turned in time to see the door to Medlab slide closed. His eyes settled on the operating table where Roy Zimmerman had been moments ago. It was now empty. Chapter Fourteen General Mark Aaronson walked into the docking bay of Babylon 5. He was greeted by his son, Garr Aaronson, who had recently wrested command of the station away from Captain John Sheridan. Garr approached his father. "General... Dad, welcome aboard." "Thank you, Son." "By now, I'm sure you've read my status reports. I trust you approve of my actions." "No. Captain Sheridan should *never* have been removed from his post." Garr stared at his father curiously. "But your orders were very clear..." The General coughed. "Captain Sheridan shouldn't have been removed from his post. I'm reinstating him, as of now." "Yes, sir." "Now get out of my sight," growled the older man. He noticed an Earth Force officer pass by. "Lieutenant! Where can I find Captain Sheridan?" The officer shrugged. "In his quarters, I think." "Thank you," remarked Aaronson as he strode out of the docking bay towards Blue sector, the section of the station where station personnel live. *** "Damn," swore Garibaldi as he watched the masked man run away from the Centauri hotel. "We're not safe here." Ivanova glanced down at the two more masked figures lying on the ground in the room. "No kidding." Warren Keffer reached down and peeled the mask off of one of them. "He's human!" Garibaldi grabbed the other one's mask. "Him too." Uncrumpling the peice of paper that was in her pocket, Susan Ivanova reread it to herself. "Get rid of Ivanova." She turned to the others. "We have to get our of here. Fast." *** Doctor Stephen Franklin was going over the medical records from his examination of Roy Zimmerman. Franklin had sworn he was dead, then turned his back for one minute and he dissapeared, right off the examining table. Franklin, feeling quite aggrivated, lowered his head to the computer console. Upon doing so, his eyes lighted across the particle energy scanner control. Rarely used in medical science, but he had nothing to lose, so he punched up the records of the particle energy scan of Zimmerman's body. Franklin stared at the monitor. There was a strange surge recorded at a certain frequency... he had never seen it himself, but had seen it in the station logs, from almost two years before. It was the signature of a changeling net. Just then, Lou Welch, acting security cheif, walked into Medlab, wheeling in a gurney. On it was the body of Roy Zimmerman. Welch turned to Franklin. "We found 'im, Doc. Been dead for a while, though. And by the looks of it, someone dragged him from here down to Brown seven, where one of my guys located him." Franklin nodded, and started feeling around the guys waistline. His hands came across a small device on his left hip, and Franklin flipped the power switch. Zimmerman's face shimmered and glowed, then was replaced by the face of some other man. Welch looked at the dead man. "Hey, this is Ben Marklyn. We've been looking for this lurker for almost three days now. What gives?" Franklin held up the device. "This does. It's a changeling net." In fact, the doctor realized, it was *the* changeling net. He explained to Welch. "Garibaldi's team checked in a few hours ago, said they'd found that three of the nets had been stolen from the Cenaturi police. They'd accounted for two of them." "And you think this is the other?" Franklin smiled. "I'm sure of it." *** Captain John Sheridan was sitting in his office, speaking with Aaronson. "What's going on here, General?" General Mark Aaronson sighed. "I'm not sure. We haven't been able to get any defninitive proof, but we think it's Jethro." Sheridan nodded. "Jethro... Personality-wise, I'd agree in a minute, but I wouldn't judge a man just because he's less likable than Joseph Stalin. He's a great military leader, and a real patriot." "So was Stalin. Still, you're right. But we've traced several things back to him. Apparently he forged orders to my son, he faked federal authorization so Garr could take command of Babylon 5. He rigged the Race Committee's ballots so they'd pick this station for the Race. He did it all." "And more. Apparently he stole a changeling net from the Centauri police. We've got a security team on Centauri Prime now, investigating a lead we had on this Zimmerman thing." "About that," began Aaronson, when Sheridan's link beeped. He picked it up and spoke into it. "Sheridan here. What is it?" The duty officer's voice came through. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but we're receiving an urgent communication for General Aaronson, from Earth Central." "Pipe it through here," he instructed. On the screen in Sheridan's office, there appeared the face of Colonel Jason Oxford. "General Aaronson, I have news about Jethro. We found his body in a storage closet. Autopsy says he's been dead for three weeks." Aaronson turned to Sheridan. "Damn. Zimmerman must be using the changeling net to imitate Jethro. You say he's on Centauri Prime?" "Yes. My executive officer spoke with him personally." "You've got to warn them. Contact them." Sheridan threw his hands up helplessly. "I can't! They got attacked a couple hours ago, so they're moving on. I don't know where they are. I can only wait for them to call us." Aaronson sighed. "Damn." Chapter Fifteen Ivanova, Garibaldi and Keffer rushed into the Earth Alliance embassy on Cenaturi Prime. There to greet them was General Matthew Jethro, one of the highest-ranking officials in Earth Force. Commander Ivanova saluted, then breathlessly said, "General... I'm glad to see you. You were right. We need your help." Jethro smiled, and returned the salute. "Of course, Commander. What can I do for you." "We got attacked, at our hotel room. By three armed humans. We need protection." Jethro opened his mouth to speak when he was suddenly shot in the stomach. Ivanova turned to see who it was, and saw, PPG in hand, Vir Cotto. Garibaldi turned, incredulous. "Vir?" Panting, Vir replied, "Yes, Mister Garibaldi." Ivanova waved at Jethro's body. "You mind explaining this, Vir? You just shot General Matt Jethro!" Vir took a deep breath. "Yes, Commander. I was on Centauri Prime, conducting some affairs of state at the capital for Ambassador Mollari, when I got a call from Captain Sheridan. He said I had to find you. So I used the sattilite scanners to search for human life-signs that matched-" "Vir," interrupted Ivanova. "You still haven't explained General Jethro." "Oh," muttered Vir. "That. See, it's not really him. It's Roy Zimmerman, in disguise. With a changeling net." Garibaldi began poking around the dead body. He pulled a small electronic box out of Jethro's breast pocket. "He's right." Babylon 5's security chief flipped the switch, and watched as the face and body of the man changed into that of Zimmerman. Keffer turned to Ivanova and Garibaldi. "C'mon, guys. Let's get back to Babylon 5." *** General Mark Aaronson was leaving Babylon 5. He was in the docking bay, ten meters away from the entrance to his ship, the EAS Phoenix. He had just shoved his son, Garr, aboard when he noticed Captain Sheridan walk up to him. Sheridan saluted him. "General, I wanted to thank you for all your help." "Don't mention it, Captain." Aaronson paused, then continued. "Oh, by the way, I got a message from Earth Central a couple minutes ago. They found the crew of the Lowell on Theta IV. Apparently when Zimmerman took over the ship, as Jethro, he forced them to transport down to the planet, then crewed the ship with his own men." Sheridan sighed in relief. He had been worried about the fact that he might have killed several hundred innocent Earth Force officers. "Thank you, General." And Mark Aaronson was gone. *** Several days later, everything was quiet on Babylon 5. The Straczynski had just returned to the station, and there hadn't been any problems to speak of since the Aaronsons had left. Garibaldi, having just returned, was sitting in front of Sheridan's desk, looking agitated. "I don't get it. I was able to figure out that Zimmerman was responsible for everything. That wouldn't take much. Just money and men. My question is why? He made no threats, no demands, no nothing." Sheridan looked up at his security cheif. "We did some checking on him. He's Homeguard. Apparently the only thing he wanted was to see this station... and us, destroyed." "But what about all that Centauri stuff?" "Apparently his backers were some members of the Centauri right-wing. They had the money and the power. They're responsible for stealing the changeling nets for him. Anyhow, that's why he set off the first bomb in the Centauri sector. They have a vested interest in making sure Londo's dead." "Homegaurd and the Centauri ultra-conservative conspiring together? Why?" "They're both scared people, Michael. And they're scared of the same thing: change. Homegaurd sees Earth's boundries expand, but at the same time they see aliens migrating to Earth, buying up the land, investing in companies, and that scares them. "On the other half of the same coin, the Centauri are scared of us. They see the borders of the Earth Alliance expanding constatly. At the same time, they see their own borders shrinking at a similar rate. "This station is responsible for a lot of that, Michael. If they could destroy it, a lot of their goals would be acheived." Garibaldi nodded. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." "Well, if that's all, you're dismissed." The security chief got up to leave. *** Londo Mollari was walking through the Zocalo when he was abruptly stopped by G'Kar. "We need to talk, Mollari." Londo smiled. "Ah, my dear friend, Ambassador G'Kar. What can I do for you?" G'Kar grimaced, then continued. "We know about your people, Mollari. We know they were responsible for the death of one of our ships, during that cursed race." "What, are you crazy, G'Kar? They tried to kill me!" Snarling, G'Kar continued. "A convinent cover. My people will not forget this, Ambassador. I'd keep a close watch of your back, if I was you. You never know when you might find a knife buried in it." *** Garibaldi was in the doorway of Sheridan's office, about to step out, when he abruptly turned and faced the captain. "Wait... Something else has been nagging me, and I think I figured out what it is." "Yes?" Taking a deep breath, Garibaldi continued. "I've been thinking... Three Centauri changeling nets were stolen, right? One went to that dead lurker, Marklyn." Sheridan nodded. "Right. And the other two went to Zimmerman and Jethro." "But those two are the same guy! That means we still only two changeling nets accounted for. There's still one out there, Captain." "Damn." Sheridan sighed. "That means Homegaurd still has one ace up its sleeve, and they know it. I've a feeling we haven't heard the last from them." Garibaldi sighed. "Tell me about it." THE END