From: Maevev2@aol.com Subject: REPOST: A Gathering of Forces [1/3 AU, PG] Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 01:19:06 EST Roads Not Taken Series Book 1, Chapter 2 A Gathering of Forces [1/5] By Penny Horwitz Standard disclaimer: This work of fiction draws on the mythos of the Babylon 5 universe, but is not intended to challenge ownership. B5 belongs to JMS and WB, but the situations described in AGoF are mine. Please do not repost any part of this story without the permission of the author Prologue: January 2257 Marcus grumbled over the stacks of paper work. More than once this evening he had cursed Sheridan for getting him into this. He had been rather happy finishing his tour of duty as the Commander of the Air Group off the Agamemnon. But no, John had to convince him that it would look better on his record to be the first officer of the most expensive mistake in human history. At least the Captain would be here in four days to take over much of this mess. And if he didn't, Marcus would feed him to the reporters that had been swarming Babylon 5 the past couple of days. If there was anything in the known galaxy worse than paperwork it was reporters. Speaking of annoying reporters, Marcus remembered his brother having left four messages in an attempt to get an interview with Sheridan. Of course all of the attempts were in vain, but Marcus was feeling rather sadistic tonight. It only took twenty minutes for the connection to be established between the station and ISN. Will looked up from his desk and grinned, "Hello, big brother. How's work?" He asked. "Work is work and the answer to your question is still no." Will pouted, "Come on, Marcus. I'm your brother for Christ's sake! You'd think..." Marcus cut him off. "You'd think what? That I should waste Captain John J. Sheridan's precious time so my brother, the cub reporter, can make a name for himself? I don't bloody well think so! You'd have better luck getting an interview with God! I know you'll be here for the ceremonies in a week, and if he wants to talk to you, that will be his call. Other than that, have a nice day." He cut off the connection without further comment. This simple act made him feel a whole lot better. Maybe there were perks to the job after all. ___________ The Zocolo was bright, and happy, which was exactly what Jeff Sinclair did not need at the moment. He sat at the bar, and watched the bubbles in his Zima float to the surface. He was worried, and the cheerful setting was doing everything it could to depress him further. "Shopping for something in particular?" asked a cheerful female voice. Jeff looked up to find a perky redhead take a seat next to him. "I'm waiting for my wife." His voice sounded extremely sober to his own ears. "Can I buy you another drink while you wait?" She asked as he studied her features. She was _very_ attractive, and rather tempting. "I'm not sure my wife would like that." "How about going to bed with me?" He made an exaggerated play of thinking it over then said, "Sure, why not." Her charming laughter made him smile for the first time since coming to this tin can. "You are such a lecher, Jeffrey Sinclair.' "Only with the woman I love, Anna. Only with you. So how did the negotiations with the Drazi go?" She rolled her eyes. "I have never dealt with such combative beings before. The negotiations took forever, but we are go. And they definitely want you to pilot the mission." Sinclair sighed with relief. "They accepted my terms then?" She nodded, and he grinned. "Good, I know the Drazi well enough to know they make lousy archeologists; and even worse crew members, unless the ship is theirs in the first place. So where are we going anyway?" "A newly discovered planet out on the rim. Drazi probes picked it up a couple months ago, and from preliminary findings, the civilization there predates anything we've ever found!" Anna was absolutely radiant as she spoke, and it lifted some of the uneasiness he had felt since coming here. "And the best part is 3 months out in hyperspace, without a lot of interruptions." Jeff felt a sly smile cross his face. "I'm looking forward to this then." _________ Chapter One "I still can't believe you talked me into this." Garibaldi moaned from the co-pilot seat. "You drag me out into the middle of God knows where to be your chief of security. I had a rather cozy job back on Mars, John!" Captain John J. Sheridan, formerly of the _Agamemnon_, now Commander of Babylon Five, laughed. "If I didn't bring you along, Michael, I'd starve to death." He glanced over at his long time friend. "Seriously, since you and Lise broke up I thought you wanted to get out of there. I mean you jumped at the chance when I offered it." "You took advantage of my fragile state to shanghaied me, and lock me up on the fucking Satellite of Love!" John grinned. "Mike, you're about as fragile as a steel beam, and if you don't stop bitching I'll find someone in Maintenance to whip up Crow and Servo. Trust me, Mike, this is going to work out, and I need my friends out here." "If this is how you treat your friends, I'd hate to see what you do to your enemies." Michael muttered as the shuttle prepared for docking. _____________ Marcus stood at attention, sweating under the harsh lights of docking bay 12. Sheridan was finally here, and he could turn over the reins. After this he could finally get some sleep, and dream about civilian life. Someone slid into place next to him. He turned to find a short somewhat non-descript man standing to his right. He was wearing an Earthforce security uniform. Then he remembered, Alfred Bester, interim head of security, hand picked by Sheridan's old school chum, or so he heard. But there was something... unnerving about the guy, much like a snake about to strike. "It'll be good to see the chief again." Bester spoke unexpectedly into the silence. "So you know Mr. Garibaldi?" Marcus asked casually. He had of course read the man's dossier, but one could only get so much from a printed screen. The other man's harsh laughter filled the bay. "I know him all right. And Garibaldi is just someone you'll have to experience for yourself." Marcus sighed as he brushed a hand through his hair. "Oh, joy. Oh, rapture." He muttered, and silently prayed it wasn't going to be as bad as he feared. ______ After what seemed like an eternity, Sheridan's shuttle docked, and the two men disembarked. The Captain seemed to be in a good mood, which was a good sign, because Marcus had no urge to relive those rare occasions when his commanding officer's temper flared. The Captain walked up to Marcus, and Cole tersely saluted, "Welcome aboard, Captain. I've been instructed to surrender command to you at this time." Sheridan smiled and returned his salute, "I accept command." He then took Marcus' hand and shook it vigorously. "It's good to see you again, Marcus. How are you?" The smile was infectious, and Marcus couldn't help but return it. "I've been better. I've almost been overrun several times by reporters looking for an interview with you, including my own brother." "Well, we'll have to do something about that won't we?" Marcus shook his head, "Captain, please don't give Will any special consideration because he's my brother. Dad already has given him too much too easily." He felt Sheridan's eyes on him for a moment, and knew exactly what he was thinking. Marcus had never talked much about his family, and for good reason. His father, hero of the Dilgar War, had recently been appointed Secretary of Defense. Marcus had been forced to follow in his footsteps, while Will was give preferential treatment because he was the baby of the family. "All right, Marcus. If I do end up giving him an interview, it'll be because he earned it with professionalism. Fair enough?" Cole nodded, and the Captain's companion finally spoke, "John, is he even _old_ enough to be your executive officer?" Marcus' eyes widened, and John hid his laughter behind a cough. "Marcus, may I introduce you to Babylon 5's chief of security, Michael Garibaldi. Mike, this is Commander Marcus Cole. He was the air group commander when I was commanding the Aggie." "Christ, John! I'm amazed you survived with a kid heading up your squadrons." Garibaldi continued to rant as Marcus rolled his eyes. "Excuse me, Mr. Garibaldi, but as the first officer of Babylon Five, I do expect some type of respect from my fellow officers, yourself included." He snapped. "Okay, Okay. Whatever you say... Kid." Garibaldi smirked at him, and walked away to speak with Bester, who he greeted like and old friend. John restrained Marcus, who was about ready to tear Garibaldi's throat out. "It looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship to me." He quipped. "He doesn't mean anything by it, Marcus. Michael is just er.... rough around the edges. He did worse to me when we first met." "Well, after this auspicious beginning, it can't get any worse can it?" Marcus said as he fell in step with Sheridan and left the docking bay. *** Marcus continued to brief John on the past two and a half weeks since he had taken command of the station from Major Alissa Payne, of the Earth Force Corps of Engineers. "All of the ambassadors are here except for the Vorlon." He reported. "Ambassador Delenn has been anxious to see you." "Figures." Garibaldi came up from behind. "No wonder you said you needed friends around." Sheridan blushed, looking everywhere but his executive officer. "You mean..." The commander began to put the pieces of puzzle together. The Minbari ambassador's insistence on seeing the Captain as soon as possible. John's reluctance to ever talk about relationships over the years. "You and the ambassador?" Marcus stopped for a moment, and when he spoke again it was with an utterly straight face. "Well, Captain, it's good to know that you're taking EA policy about alliances with alien governments to heart." Sheridan's eyes went wide with shock as Garibaldi fought to breathe. Marcus stood there looking for the world as if he had just reported on tomorrow's duty roster. "Nice shot, kid!" Garibaldi continued to laugh uproariously, "You know, I might have misjudged you a little." By this time Sheridan was as red as the leather trim of his uniform. "Thank you, gentlemen. I really appreciate that you find my private life so entertaining." "Somebody's got to keep you humble, John. The kid was just quicker at it than I was... This time." "Why thank you, Mister Garibaldi." Marcus smirked and he made an extravagant bow. "Nice to know you appreciate wit." Garibaldi quickly retorted. "Wit... Or nitwit... All the same." Sheridan just shook his head as Marcus nearly choked. "I attempt to put together a staff I could trust, and what do I get, comedians." He sighed and made a show of indignation. "All right, gentlemen, and I really use the term loosely. Behave." "What are you going to do, John? Send us to bed without supper? You might get away with it with the kid, but I'm a little to old for that." "No, I just won't let you get your hands on these." John said as he pulled a folded flimsy from his pocket. He showed it to Garibaldi, and when his friend's jaw dropped he turned on Marcus. "And you really don't want me sending a glowing report to Daddy on how you're wasted here and should be given your own command." "You wouldn't..." Sheridan's smile was positively demonic. "Try me." Michael glanced at Marcus. "Did they teach you anything about strategic retreats at the Academy?" "Yes, I would definitely say this situation calls for one. Captain, this match is yours," He said solemnly, but then his lips curled into a half smile, "but the game has yet to be decided." Michael took the opportunity to snatch the flimsy away from John, and began gazing at it lovingly. "John, how the hell did you manage to get these..." Marcus peered over Michael's shoulder to see what precious information could have been scrawled on the plastic. "It looks like an ingredients list... What the bloody hell is so important about an ingredients list?" "Other than the fact that the shipment will be off-loaded in an hour, and Michael is a gourmet chef, not much." Sheridan smiled. "I just figured we all could use a nice relaxing meal before the shit hits the fan. That is if you're game, Mike" "Hell yes!" He turned a grin on Cole. "So, kid... How do you feel about Italian?" Marcus rolled his eyes and sighed. This was going to be a long tour of duty. ____________ Sheridan wandered into his office. The spartan surroundings fit his mood, and while he was plotting the demise of his fellow officers, he was also glad for their teasing. It made it easier not to think about her. The last time he had seen Delenn was at a conference on Minbar. It had been just before his promotion to Captain, and being given command of the _Agamemnon_. As he stood behind his desk, he shivered involuntarily at the memory of that evening. Rain on the crystal structures had made them sing. "Hello, John," she said. He jumped at the unexpected intrusion, and found her standing in the doorway, looking more beautiful than he remembered. Time had been kind to her, and rather than stealing her beauty the passing years had refined it. "Delenn." His voice wavered slightly, and he fought to keep it steady. He knew he would see her again, but so soon, and with so little time to prepare. After all this he still couldn't bring himself to tell her. Oh, he had admitted it to himself long ago, but he'd never voiced it to her for fear of losing everything. "I had heard that you had arrived and I wished to... Say hello, and to see that you are well." She walked to the desk, with that exotic flowing grace that marked all her movements. "Uh... Thank you. I'm glad..." He wasn't exactly sure what to do next. How should he greet her? Two years was a long time. To cover his nervousness he reached for the stack of papers, only to watch them spill from his hands. He berated himself silently. Well, at least it was distraction enough for him to collect his thoughts, and calm his racing heart. He took a deep breath and put on his best knock 'em dead grin. "Would you like a seat?" John gestured to the chairs on the far side of the desk. The gentle smile she wore lit the entire office as she accepted his offer. "Thank you, Captain." He hid his disappointment. Captain? Why the hell did she fall back to calling him by his rank after all these years. Was it something he had done? *Beep Beep* "Sheridan, go." Marcus' voice was a welcome relief from the tension. "Sir, the captain of the _Pandora_ has been waiting on his clearance to hitch a ride out to the Rim on the next Explorer-class vessel." "The _Pandora_? That doesn't sound familiar." He rummaged through the papers. "Oh yes, the Drazi-sponsored freelance expedition. Tell him I'll contact Earth Dome tomorrow and get his ship cleared. Sheridan out." He looked up and noticed the worried expression in her eyes. "An expedition out to the Rim?" She asked, with a strange tightness in her voice. "Yes, It's Drazi sponsored, but the ship's complement seems to be mostly human crew, freelance archeologists and the like." He stopped to study her. "Is there anything wrong, Delenn?" She seemed startled at the suggestion. "Um... No, should there be? I should leave you to your work." She stood and bowed to him, but as she walked out she added, almost as an afterthought, "Do you know when Ambassador Kosh will arrive?" "I think Commander Cole said something about tomorrow, if that helps." "Yes, Captain, it does. Good day." She calmly walked out. __________ Delenn strode back to her quarters, anxious for the familiar comforts. Being near him made her feel weak, and giddy. She was amazed that she was able to hold a coherent conversation with him at all. She felt so deeply for him, and yet she could do nothing, though there were times that she feverently wished she could rebel against destiny. He seemed so alone. She stopped herself. Delenn knew to continue down this way would only weaken her resolve to aid him in the tasks ahead. Besides she had more important things to worry about than acting like a love-struck adolescent. The news that the Drazi were sponsoring a ship out to the Rim bothered her. She would have to find out exactly where they were going and quickly. It was a remote chance that they would head to the homeworld of the Enemy and awaken them, but that chance could not be taken. They were not ready yet. She wished Kosh was here so she might take counsel with him, and she wished the time was right to tell John all she knew, but wishes gained her nothing. And time was not on her side. ________ "Delenn came to your office today?" Garibaldi asked as he passed the bowl of pasta to Marcus. John nodded and grabbed a piece of bread to dip into the Bagna Cauda. "So how did it go?" "Don't go fishing, Michael. You're not going to catch anything." "Jesus H. Christ! When the hell are you going to stop moping and tell her!" Garibaldi threw up his hands in disgust as his best friend stared at his plate. "This has been going on for ten years now. You should know by now if you love her or not so what the hell is wrong?" "I'm frightened, okay?" Sheridan snapped, "I'm afraid that I'll lose her if I tell her, and she's right up there with the two of you in the close friends category. I don't want to sacrifice that." "I'm sorry, John. I didn't know." Michael said as a slightly shocked Marcus looked on. "Geeze, Marcus, don't look so surprised. I wouldn't have you here if I didn't trust you that much. This station is too big of a job for one person, and I needed all the help I could get." John smiled at his first officer. "Thank you." Marcus said softly. Garibaldi decided it was a good time to switch targets. "So, kid, what about you? According to what I picked up today, you haven't paired off with anybody, much to the dismay of many of the women onboard." It was Marcus' turn to blush. "I haven't been looking. Honesty, I haven't met a woman I'd really make a lasting commitment to. I'm waiting for the right one. Guess I'm just romantic." "Lovely... I'm surrounded by hopeless fools." "What about Lise?" Sheridan asked wickedly. "_Don't_ even go there!" "More pasta, Mike?" ___________ Marcus knew he shouldn't have had so much to drink but the wine was so damn good, and he needed to relax so it shouldn't have been that big of a deal. He curled up in his bed, thankful that he wasn't on call for the first time in two weeks, and fell asleep to disturbing dreams. Something was chasing him, something he couldn't see, but knew if it caught him it would destroy him. Marcus ran down endless corridors trying to find a way out, only to be faced with a set of beautiful blue eyes. Those eyes captured him even more completely than the darkness could. Stunned, the words came from his lips. "Who are you?" And in the distance came the response. An inhuman voice spoke. "The future." His alarm woke him. _________ Sheridan stepped into C&C that morning to the salutes of his new command. He planned to give his good luck speech after the arrival of Ambassador Kosh. Marcus stood there, staring out the viewport. He looked distracted. "You all right, Commander?" "Yes, sir. Just some odd dreams." Marcus shrugged. "Stress induced, most likely. I used to have dreams like this when I was heading up the Air Group, before known engagements." "Ah... If you're sure you're okay then." "Of course, Captain. I've..." The panel in front of him lit up. "Jump gate opening. Beacon matches that of Ambassador Kosh's ship." Sheridan grinned. It was finally coming together. With Kosh's arrival, the station was truly operational. The ceremonies were now just a formality. "Shall we go meet the Vorlon, Commander?" "Of course, sir. Lieutenant Guerra, you have command." End Part One From: Maevev2@aol.com Subject: REPOST: A Gathering of Forces [2/3 AU, PG] Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 01:24:51 EST Roads Not Taken:Book One, Chapter Two A Gathering of Forces 2/3 By Penny Horwitz Standard Disclaimers: My chess pieces are in slightly different positions, but they're still close enough to Joe's to cause legal discomfort if I don't add this in. These were originally Joe's toys. I'm warping them, but it's all in fun and nothing about monetary gain. Londo Mollari hated being rushed, and was in the process of cursing the Vorlon ambassador for being early, when the door chimed. He ordered it open as he fumbled with his formal vest. Finally he turned to greet his visitor. "Hello, old friend. I'm quite pleased to see you though I was expecting Vir. That thrice damned moonface assassin of joy was supposed to be helping me, but he disappeared." Londo looked closely at his visitor. "You do not look so well, my friend. Are you..." Mollari never got a chance to finish his sentence for when the blade entered his abdomen, the pain erased everything else. __________ Bester walked down the halls of Green sector, glad for the excuse to avoid seeing the Vorlon. They gave him the chills, more so than anything else he associated with his father. Al was just thankful that the old man had other "more important" things to do rather than to be here for the dedication ceremony. His affiliations would have led to indelicate questions, and would have strained the credibility of his story, both to his friends and his father. So he was ready to forgive Ambassador Mollari for being late to the welcoming ceremony. He arrived at the door, and rang the chime twice. When no one answered, Bester's instinct kicked in and he overrode the lock. Stepping inside he found the ambassador in a pool of his own blood, barely conscious. "Bester to Medlab. We have a medical emergency in Green 2 level 5. Ambassador Mollari has been wounded." ________ Garibaldi rushed to Medlab Two as soon as the news broke. He had been talking to the troops in Security when Bester linked in and told him what had happened. Michael hoped that Londo would be able to identify his attacker, and that whoever the perp was, he hadn't gotten off the station before John had sealed it. "How bad does it look, Doc?" He asked as he crossed the threshold. Stephen Franklin pulled off his medical cap and gloves and placed them in the recycling bin with a sigh. "Honestly, Mister Garibaldi, it was a mess in there, but we got to him in time. He should be awake in a few minutes, but go easy on him; the ambassador needs to rest." ___________ Delenn waited quietly outside Kosh's quarters fidgeting with her breather. She didn't need more than a breath from the apparatus, but had to maintain appearances. The door finally opened and Delenn entered. The monolithic encounter suit stood before her, darkened. "Ambassador?" she asked tentatively. Servomotors whined as the suit came to life, and turned toward her. The iris, which opened to emit a faint green light, regarded her closely as the translator sang in strange tones. "Yes?" She bowed her head, unsure of how the Vorlon would react to the news. "It seems that an expedition of humans, supported by the Drazi, is being sent to the Rim. Shouldn't we stop them?" The translator sang out again in questioning notes, "Why?" "If we let them go, they might stumble upon the Shadows, and awaken them." Delenn repressed a shutter. "We still aren't ready. Kosh, you know this. We need more time!" The encounter suit's 'head' cocked to one side and the music that issued from the translator was matter-of-fact. "If they go to Z'Ha'Dum, they will die." "We cannot..." "Enough!" The suit turned away from her, as clear a dismissal as any she had ever received as a novice. She nodded and left, but as the door opened to allow her exit Delenn heard the soft voiceless song of the Vorlon's translator, "And so it begins." _____________ Londo lay in the med bed looking extremely uncomfortable. Actually, Garibaldi thought that uncomfortable was an understatement. "Why won't you tell me who you saw, Londo?" "Because, Mr. Garibaldi, I do not believe it." "Londo, let me get this straight. Someone tried to kill you, you know who it is, and you're not going to tell me?" Garibaldi stared at him in disgust. "Do you have a death wish?" "No, of course not. But what I saw could not have been real. He would never have tried such a thing." Garibaldi racked his brain, hoping to understand. Who had a motive. Then understanding dawned. "Why the hell would you be protecting _him_?" Londo sighed, a grimace of pain scralling all over his face. "He is my friend, Mr. Garibaldi. I have had very few true friends in this life." "He just tried to kill you!' "Mr. Garibaldi, you do not know G'Kar very well at all, do you?" Garibaldi thought as he stared in disbelief at one of the most powerful emissaries of the fading Centauri Republic. For some strange reason he was defending a Narn, who would most likely been happy to slit his throat. "Okay, Londo, explain it to me." "When I was young, I was sent to Narn to oversee my family's interests there. I was the perfect target for the Narn Resistance. They kidnapped me, and half of them were for executing me on the spot. But their leader would have no such thing. G'Kar spared my life that day, and forced me to see the Narn as more that just numbers on a ledger. I stayed with them for some time, and when G'Kar set me free; I returned home to legislate for Narn's freedom. Then the Collapse happened, and our need became that much more urgent." The Collapse. The merest thought made Garibaldi shiver. He had seen images on ISN of the radiation survivors that made Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and San Diego look like minor scrapes. Londo nodded in response to the play of horror over the Chief's face. "Yes, it was a terrible thing. Almost overnight Centauri Prime became a wasteland, a monument to foolish pride and war gone too far. G'Kar came to our aid then and I cannot believe that he would turn on me now." ________ "I don't get it." Sheridan paced back and forth across the briefing room. "Surveillance video clearly shows Ambassador G'Kar, but if what Ambassador Mollari says is true then he has no motive." He turned to look at Garibaldi. "Have you been able to find G'Kar yet?' "No luck. I've got my people searching the station for him, and with the lock-down, no one is getting out without my people knowing." "I don't think it was G'Kar." Marcus said as he stepped inside. He handed a computer pad to Sheridan. "Doctor Franklin just finished his report on the incident. Whoever it was wasn't trying to kill the ambassador. The wound wasn't well placed for a clean kill." "Kid, he was found swimming in a pool of his own blood. A clean kill wouldn't matter." "Mr. Garibaldi, why attack him when he'd be missed? It'd make sense to wait and kill him _afterward_, and why be sloppy enough to let him see who his attacker was? I'm no detective but even I could see the gaping holes in that plan." "He has a point, Michael." John said hiding a smile behind a cough. "All right, All right." Garibaldi glared at Marcus. "So where do we start?" "That's easy." Cole said. "We find G'Kar." Garibaldi rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Easier said than done, kid." *** Marcus entered the air lock that separated the Alien Sector from the Earth standard atmosphere with a large amount of trepidation. For one, it meant he had to meet with the very mysterious Ambassador Kosh, and secondly, he had to wear a breather to do it. He hated breathers with a passion, not only were they blastedly uncomfortable, but the damn things evoked extremely unpleasant childhood memories. Every time he put one on he couldn't help but flashback to when Will had tried to smother him with a pillow when he was eight. The way the mask pressed against his face terrified him more than anything he'd ever experienced. Luckily he didn't need to wear breathers all that often, and the helmets on the flight suits were large enough that they didn't have the same effect on him. Finally he reached out and took the breather from the rack and placed it over his face. The moment of panic came and went, and when he had finally collected himself, Marcus deactivated the lock and entered the methane section of the Alien sector. The billows of gas gathered around him as he headed straight for Kosh's quarters, thankful they were so near the entrance. For his own part, Marcus had always thought there should be a sign over this section saying "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here," for this place was his worst nightmare of hell. It was dark and the clouds obscured his vision. All it lacked were the flame spouts of old Hollywood's image of Hades, but that was about it. And when the door to Kosh's quarters opened without him using the door chime, Marcus knew he was in trouble. Carefully he stepped inside, surveying his surroundings. There was nothing he recognized as furniture. The Vorlon's environmental suit lumbered out from behind a divider. , Marcus thought as the monstrous form moved towards him, He filed the information away for later as the suit came to a halt. Its 'head' nodded to him in recognition, yet the ambassador said nothing. "Hello, Ambassador. I came as soon as I could." Cole winced at how tinny his voice sounded through the breather. The suit's head cocked sideways, and the optic sensor opened slightly to emit a strange green light, but still it stood silent. None of this was making Marcus happy. He had other things to do, chief among them was finding Ambassador G'Kar and the real bastards behind the Mollari assassination attempt. This was a major waste of time. "Ambassador, if there isn't anything I can do for you..." "It is time." The synthetic male voice issued from the translator. "Time? Time for what?" Marcus was having a major case of deja vu. Where the hell had he heard that voice before? This was getting a little out of his league. Marcus was just a fighter jock at heart, a profession that did not prepare one for having disjointed conversations with mysterious Vorlons. "You will know... In time." As the last words faded the door hissed open. Marcus knew it was time to go while the getting was good. He said his good-byes to Kosh and left. As soon as the airlock gave him the green light he tore off the mask, and hit his link. "C&C, Lieutenant Guerra." "Rafe, it's Cole. I just came down with a severe headache, and I'm going to my quarters to take something so I'll be a little late for my shift." Guerra's voice sounded slightly amused. "Didn't you just go talk to Ambassador Kosh?" "Where do you think I got the headache from in the first place?" Marcus muttered, "Cole out." _______________ Garibaldi was ready to beat his head against the screen. He had gone over the tapes of the hallway outside Mollari's quarters at the time of the attack, and had found no way of confirming the kid's suspicions that it wasn't G'Kar. A gloved hand set a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. He looked up to see Bester shaking his head. "You work too hard sometimes, Mike. I swear you're going to be the death of me." His second sat down in the chair beside him. "I take it no joy, right." "Damn straight, but if you look at every twentieth frame it forms a porno," he muttered as he sipped his coffee. "That's it, Mike. Move over." Bester sat down and began to rewind the tape. "I'll look this over, while you get some sack time. Do you remember the last time you saw a bed?" "Sorta. I think maybe 24 hours ago, but I'm not sure." He accepted Al's glare gracefully, and began to move to the door when his link went off. "Garibaldi." "Uh, Chief?" Officer Welch's voice held a strange note. "I'm in Red Five, you might want to get down here." Mike and Al exchanged wry looks. "No rest for the wicked, I guess." Garibaldi sighed. He turned back to his link. "Lou, be right there," he said and strode out the door. ____________ Marcus put the book down on the coffee table with a sigh. It had just not been his day, first the meeting with Kosh, then two consecutive shifts in C&C to cover for Sheridan as he tried to prepare for the station's opening ceremonies, that is if they could open the station with the recent situation. The novel wasn't helping either. It just reminded him of what he lacked in life. "Why can't I meet a nice woman like you?" He glared at the book. Honor Harrington, now there was someone he'd hit it off with. He despaired at ever finding anyone like her. "Lovely, this is not what I needed today," He mused as he walked to the bathroom. The last woman with whom he had had a meaningful relationship had been his cat, Waldo. Damn, he was pathetic. He gave up for the night and began to prepare for bed. He felt his body begin to finally wind down from the day's stresses, and he knew as soon as his head hit the pillow he was going to be dead to the world. He pulled off his shirt, link, and sweats, dove into the bed, and buried himself under his blankets. Within five minutes, Marcus had drifted into the first stage of sleep. *BEEP*BEEP* "No... No..." He pulled his face up from the nice soft pillow and glared at the link. "Bloody damn thing, why can't you leave me alone!!" *BEEP*BEEP* was the tiny machine's only response. The commander rolled his eyes, debating if his PPG could take care of the problem once and for all, but he realized that Earthgov would probably make him pay to replace it. "Cole here." He managed to mutter into the infernal device. "Commander," It was, of course, Garibaldi. "The command staff is meeting in the conference room." The Chief paused and when he spoke again, it was in wry appreciation. "It seems you were right, Marcus. Good work." _____________ John was looking over reports of the new evidence, when Marcus entered the room. The Captain glanced up and saw that his XO looked like hell. The long black hair that Marcus usually kept pulled back in a regulation band hung around a face made paler by both exhaustion and the dark beard. Sheridan was concerned, but he knew Marcus well enough to know he'd bounce back quickly. Garibaldi, too, noticed the Commander's exhaustion. Unlike John, he took delight in rubbing it in. "You look like something the cat dragged in." "Thank you, Mr. Garibaldi. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate links? They're like bloody leashes but worse." Michael grinned and gave no quarter. "If you think that's bad, wait till you get a girlfriend." John stepped in before the fireworks really got started. "I'm sorry about waking you, Marcus, but Franklin's found something strange. He said he'd be up here as soon as he finished the autopsy." "Autopsy? What's going on here?" "We found two bodies in one of the guest quarters down in Red sector. Franklin's finishing up the reports now," Garibaldi supplied. "And the two of you dragged me out of bed because...?" "I didn't think they were related to the attack on Londo at first even though they had a similar MO. One of them was an arms dealer by the name of Varner; the other was an EE tech," The chief explained. "But then Al turned up some secure cam footage that was rather interesting." He punched in commands from his link and the monitor began to play out a scene of a tech walking down a hallway. "This was taken by secure cam thetaG45," Garibaldi narrated. "The technician has been identified as Harold McKeys, the same tech we just pulled out of Red Sector. Now keep watching; this is where it gets interesting." Just as Garibaldi spoke the monitor registered a change in cameras to secure cam thetaG46. Tech McKeys was no longer walking down the hall, but G'Kar was. "Franklin was able to give me a time of death pretty quickly. McKeys was dead when this was taken." "Then what are we dealing with, Mr. Garibaldi?" Sheridan asked, "Are you telling me we have someone on the station who can look like anybody?" "I don't know, Captain. I just don't know." End Part 2 From: Maevev2@aol.com Subject: NEW: A Gathering of Forces Part 3/3 Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 00:26:28 EST A Gathering of Forces Part 3 of 3 By Penny Horwitz Standard Disclaimers: My chess pieces are in slightly different positions, but they're still close enough to Joe's to cause legal discomfort if I don't add this in. These were originally Joe's toys. I'm warping them, but it's all in fun and nothing about monetary gain. G'Kar awoke with the smell of chloroform still in his nose. His eyes blinded by a fold of cloth, and as he attempted to move he found that his limbs were bound as well. came the thought unbidden. He tried to remember how his attacker had manage to sneak up on him. He had been awaiting his new aid Ko'Dath in the customs area, and when she arrived he escorted her to her quarters... That is when a hand had forced the doused cloth over his face! Damn! He knew he was unpopular with some of the younger members of the Kah'ri. but he hadn't suspected that they'd be this desperate to remove him. His struggle elicited laughter from his captor, a musical sound that could only issue from a female throat, and when she spoke to him it was in accented Narn. "Ambassador G'Kar of the Narn Regime, Hero of the Resistance, Savior of Narn, Champion of the Narn-Centauri peace. These past few years of living softly have made you easy prey." She chortled. "Who are you?" His futile attempt brought forth even more laughter, "You're not in a position to ask for anything, G'Kar, but I will give you one precious piece of information. Right now, you're the most wanted being on this station." "What have you done?" "Oh, it's not what I've done, Ambassador, it's what you've done. You see, you're wanted in the attempted assassination of Londo Mollari," Musical laughter filled the room once again, "attempted assassination ... those words have such a lovely ring to them. Anyway, even if Mollari lives, when they find your body floating outside, if they find your body at all, it will be assumed that the act was Centauri retribution for the attack. My people win by destabilizing the fragile peace of the region. You see, Ambassador, peace is bad for business." G'Kar was sickened by the suggestion, "You would send millions to die, plunge the entire region into chaos for what? What is worth engineering genocide for?" "Revenge." The woman's voice was cold stone sealing a tomb. *** Sheridan sat in his office going over reports and feeling useless. Garibaldi's people were going over Varner's encrypted files as fast as humanly possible, but still the station was sealed. He was already getting complaints from many of the freighters sitting outside. They sat on his desk, half a foot high of flimsies glaring at him. *Beep*Beep* He tapped the link without even looking at it, "Sheridan, go." "C & C, sir, A Doctor Sinclair from the _Pandora_ has been asking to speak with you." The Captain sighed, "All right, send him to my office." Within a few minutes a petite woman walked through the door, and an achingly familiar voice spoke, "Hello, John." Sheridan nearly fell out of his seat at the sigh of her, "Anna? My God, what are you doing here?" "'What are you doing here?' After five years that's the best that you can do?" Brown eyes as cold as ice bore into him. "Though under the circumstances I suppose I can understand. I'm here to talk to you. My ship was supposed to rendezvous with the _Marco_Polo_ in two days. If you don't lift this seal on the station we're going to miss it!" "Anna, what are you talking about...? You're Doctor Sinclair? When did you remarry?" The words tumbled from John's lips as he stared at her, his ex-wife. "Two year after the divorce decree went through. I see you remember me." Anna said as she walked around the office looking at the arcana John surrounded himself with as thoroughly as any dig she'd ever been on. "My God, how can you say that. I loved you. I still do, but ... damn it, we're just too different. I tried." Finally she sat down, her eyes searching his, "I guess your trying wasn't good enough, but I'm not here to rehash the past with you. When will you be lifting the seal on the station?" The sudden shift in subject threw him for another loop. John could only stare at her with disbelief, "We have an assassin on the station, and you want me to open it back up so he can jump ship?" "What? Did he try and kill Delenn?" Anna's tone dripped sarcastic venom, and this final dig broke the spell she'd had on John since her entrance to the office. "How dare you!" He stood, looming over her small form. "This man killed two people, tried to kill a third, a fourth is missing and possibly another victim. Where the hell did your compassion go?" She shrugged, "I'm still compassionate, John, but on my terms. One of the lessons I took away from you." "Then you took all the wrong ones, Anna." He retorted. "Sinclair? Now I remember, you married that commander who you were having an affair with? Jeff Sinclair, the one Earth Force drummed out for conduct unbecoming?" He didn't wait for a reply. "I'll get you, another ship if you miss this one. I owe you that much." Anna Sinclair nodded and stood to leave. Before she got through the door though he spoke to her for what he vowed would be the last time, "You know, I just realized after two years of marriage, I never really knew who you were." "Did it really ever matter; I was never what you wanted." Anna didn't even bother to turn around. *** Garibaldi looked up from his desk monitor as Sheridan walked in. The welcome died on his lips as he saw his old friend's face. "I know I've been saying this a lot to people lately, but you look like hell." John snorted and sat down bonelessly in a chair, "Anna's on here, Mike." "Nuts! I'm sorry, John. When it rains it pours around here, I guess. Look, I've got some good news on the Varner front at least. We cracked his encrypt, which was a bitch since he was using Strazynski Arc encryption protocols. But because of that Varner seemed to be pretty cocky in his personal logs. It seems our man Varner was a tech smuggler. He brought in a changeling net for a buyer he refers to as Bella Dona." "Bella Dona? As in the poison?" Sheridan looked confused. Mike shrugged, "You could say that. Bella Dona is the handle of one of the premiere hitmen of the Mars Syndicate. Thing is, I was part of the sting that busted her two years ago. I know who she is, John." He turned the monitor around for Sheridan to see. "Her real name is Laurel Takashima. The problem is, with that changeling net in her possession, she could look like anybody." "But a holographic system that detailed would take a lot of power, wouldn't it?" "Yeah sure." Garibaldi said confused. John tapped his link, "Sheridan to Cole." "Commander Cole here, Captain. What can I do for you?" "I need you to reconfigure our sensor platform so it can scan the station's interior. Filter out all known energy sources, you got that, Commander?" "Yes, sir, it'll take about forty minutes to switch the system over." Marcus said, knowing better than to waste the time to ask why. "Good, Mister Garibaldi and I will be up shortly. Sheridan out." Garibaldi smiled, "You know, John, I might have been wrong about that kid. He's smarter than he looks." *** Marcus didn't even glance up from his terminal as the Captain and Mr. Garibaldi entered the Observation Dome, "We've gotten most of the relays set up, but we're having a glitch in the last set." The Commander shot a look at Lt. Guerra who nodded, "They're coming on-line...Now! We're up and ready." "Good, start filtering out all known energy sources." Sheridan ordered as he watched over Marcus' shoulder. "Got it. Looks like what you're looking for is down in Gray Sector, level three." "Michael, get your team in there, fast." Sheridan said as Garibaldi was halfway out the hatch. *** Al Bester looked his team over, "Everyone got the challenges and counters down?" The group of heavily armed security people nodded. "Good. You know the drill. Take your positions, and remember, nobody gets out unless they have the correct counterchallenge. I don't care if he looks like me, or even the Chief, if you don't get the counter challenge you shoot 'em." The group split into pairs to cover the all the access ways out of Gray 3, as Garibaldi came striding down the hall, "You ready for this, Al?" "Me? I wouldn't miss this for the world." Bester replied as he pulled on his own helmet. Both men brought their rifles up and moved in. "Garibaldi to C in C." "C in C on-line." Cole's voice echoed in his ear as Garibaldi set his link to private. "I need you to bird-dog me, Commander. How far are we from the source?" "It's thirty meters straight ahead, and then directly to the left.... Damn it, she's moved! Registering air lock recycle sequence. Chief, I'll try and stop it from here, but hurry!" Garibaldi and Bester started to pound down the hallway, and both men felt the sinking sensation that they might already be to late to help G'Kar. *** Laurel looked down at her prisoner. He was unconscious, but still alive. She didn't like this job one bit, but she wasn't going to argue with the people who got her out. She'd been scheduled for the death of personality. Whoever these people were they felt she owed them one, and Mrs. Takashima never raised any stupid children. Laurel knew enough to play the game for now. "Air Lock malfunction." A pleasant computer voice announced, "Reinitializing now." Laurel swore as she heard the pounding of feet. She pulled out her PPG and shoved G'Kar into the air lock. "Hold it, Laurel," Garibaldi yelled as he saw her reach for the air lock's controls. "Why, Garibaldi," She smiled sweetly as her left hand hovered over the recycle switch, "I should've known you'd come looking for me." "Let the Ambassador go, and I'll get you a deal." "Please, Garibaldi, you know me better than that." Her PPG came up and aimed at Bester. "I got a better idea. Why don't we play 'Lady and the Tiger?' You can only rescue one of them." She hit the recycle switch closing the air door, and fired. Bester took the burst full in the chest and fell. Garibaldi dropped to the ground beside his second as he screamed into the link, "Marcus, stop that airlock!" Al looked up weakly as the Chief pulled off his helmet. "The flak jacket took most of it, Mike. Get G'Kar out of there, and stop her." "Chief, Air lock override successful. I'm opening the air door now." Garibaldi sighed in relief as he draped the unconscious Narn out, and then dropped into a run after Laurel. *** Laurel managed to make it to the maintenance hatch where she was supposed to meet her ride out. Cautiously she opened the hatch, and found a guard lying on the floor with PPG burns in the center of his chest. "You let them see didn't you?" an all to pleasant voice asked from the shadows. "Somehow they picked up on it," Laurel said, "I guess your plan wasn't as fool proof as you thought." "Yes, it was," the voice said as a PPG blast ended the career of Bella Dona. *** Fifteen hours later Garibaldi sat in the Captain's office with John and Marcus, "So it looks like she exited at the service hatch and Anderson caught her. Unfortunately, she got Anderson too." Mike said as he collapsed back into the couch. "I'm sorry, Mike." John said quietly as Marcus nodded his sympathies. Garibaldi had told them about Sean Anderson, who'd come straight out of boot and excited to be serving on Babylon Five. Sheridan tried to smile, "The good news is that Al, Mollari and G'Kar are all on the mend, and the two ambassadors have reconciled. Though according to Stephen, Londo was rather loud in his insistence that there wasn't a _need_ to reconcile." Garibaldi managed a shadow of a smile, "Good old Londo, he's a pain in the ass, but he's our pain in the ass." Marcus nodded, "G'Kar said the exact same thing." Sheridan's link beeped, "Sheridan, Go." "Lt. Guerra, Sir, we've just got a signal from Senator Morden's transport. He'll be docking in two hours. The Senator wants to get the opening ceremonies started as soon as he's settled." "Thanks, Rafe. Sheridan, out." John turned to his friends. "Well, gents we've got a welcoming party to prepare." Michael stood up, "I'll go round up the usual suspects, and then get into the monkey suit." He waved his good-byes to the Captain and the Commander then left the office. Marcus smiled sadly, "I know that this wasn't the auspicious beginning everyone was hoping for, John." "I just hope it doesn't portent anything worse, Marcus. God, I hope it doesn't portent anything worse." *** Epilogue Senator Richard Morden smiled as he walked into the Sanctuary. Ambassadors Delenn, Mollari, G'Kar, and Kosh stood in the front rank along with the representatives of the League, and the station's Command Staff. There was a sense of dreamlike completion for Morden. The Babylon Project was his baby, and now like any father he was beaming with pride. He came to the podium and arranged his notes, then began to speak. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming here today. It's been a long journey to this place. We came here with all our hopes and dreams. We built this place as a monument to peace, and in doing so we've birthed a new age. I am proud to be a part of this new journey, and would like to thank you all for joining me." He locked eyes with Sheridan for a moment and his smile became suspiciously like a grin, "And with all due apologies to Captain Sheridan for stealing his thunder, but I'd like to declare Babylon Five open for business." *** Aboard the _Pandora_ Anna Sinclair sat humming in her quarters. Things hadn't gone exactly as planned, but the assassination was only a distraction. A black eye for her ex-husband to enjoy while she got to the important things. The Drazi had unearthed a strange ship about a year ago, and she'd been working with them on it. Ever since the Minbari had come Anna had devoted herself to undermining them. She didn't trust them, and she didn't trust how they and the Vorlons were pervading Earth politics. The new ship might belong the allies she and the others was looking for. Anna sighed, they'd find out soon enough. She still hadn't told Jeff the truth yet. He was nearly as jaded as she was about the current alien situation, but he still held on to those silly Earth Force ideals. Well, there was enough time to break it to him gently. *** Midnight on Babylon Five found a strange human walking through the Alien sector. Without a breather, he came to the quarters of Ambassador Kosh. Dressed in black, his head covered by a cloak and his face masked in shadows he stood in front of the door waiting. Without word, without sound the door opened as if to a silent willed command. Inside the stranger found Kosh waiting for him. "Well, hello Kosh old boy." The encounter suit's head nodded in response. "The circle has rejected your proposal. They thank you for the warning, but will not participate." "Expected." Kosh noted, "And you, Galen?" "I will help you as I can. My brethren have decided to hide like rabbits, to play it safe. I will not do so." "Good, then truly it does begin." The End