From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 7, Part A Date: Sat, 17 Oct 1998 01:00:00 +0930 Spoiler Warning: This story has spoilers for all 5 season of Babylon 5, including really big spoilers for season 4 & 5. Actually not so much in this chapter, but this story does give away much of season 5 later on. General Disclaimer: All the B5 characters used in this tale remain the property of Warner Brothers, JMS, and whoever else wants to claim them. However all the rest of the characters are mine, mine, all mine.... Shameless Plug: Earliers chapers of the story, as well as the latest up to date version of this chapter can be found on my webpage at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/stories1.html ------------------------------------------------------------ Reunion - Part 7 By Sel Vecantie ------------------------------------------------------------ 7:32, February 2, 2262 For the first time in many month Susan woke peacefully, her dreams untroubled by the nightmares that had plagued her sleep for what seemed like forever. As her still drowsy mind began to focus she realised that somehow she had woken up without the need for an alarm call, and almost unheard of occurrence. Yawning she stretched out, enjoying the softness and warmth of her bed. She still delighted in the feel of blankets and a quilt when she slept, despite the fact that the ship climate control could easily had set the temperature to whatever level she wished. It was a small luxury, but one that she allowed herself whenever possible. She felt strangely relaxed and comforted, and for once had no memory of what she had dreamed the night before. Usually her almost perfect memory could recall the details of her nightmares, so they could plague her throughout the day. This time was different though, there was just the faint memory of a beach, a warm sun, and the gentle touch of flesh against flesh. 'Why is it I can never remember the good dreams,' Susan thought to herself with a wry smile as she at dragged herself out of the warm bed and into the another day. Her mind quickly focused on other matter though as she saw the time displayed on the screen mounted on the wall of her bedroom. "That can't be right," she said to herself, rubbing her eyes to clear away the last vestiges of sleep. Looking again she realised that the time was correct, and somehow she had overslept by an hour and a half. "Computer, why didn't my alarm wake me," she asked with a slightly annoyed tone. The cool, mechanical voice of the ships computer responded at once, "Your alarm call was deactivated ." "What! Who deactivated it." "That command was issued by Commander Gregor Petrov at 01:20 this morning." Susan knew she should be angry at the Commander, but could not argue with his wisdom. She had been through a lot lately, and one night of good sleep wasn't going to hurt her. Turning away from the computer she opened the sliding doors leading to the rest of her quarters. There her eyes fell on the packing crates she had bought with her from Babylon 5, still sitting where she had left them several days ago. Susan sighed, realising that if she was ever going to see this vessel as her new home she would have to eventually unpack her belonging, at least the few she had kept. For a moment she though about finishing the task now, but instead pulled out a fresh uniform and marched off to the bathroom, and a warm, soothing shower. While she stood in the warm flow of water she decided to make us of the extra sleep that had been forced on her, instead of heading out straight away. After all if her executive officer had deactivated her alarm then he probably wasn't thinking of seeing her any time soon, so he wouldn't mind her using the time to get settled and unpack her belongings. "And there is nothing wrong with a long shower," Susan muttered to herself as she luxuriated in the warm water. Eventually, after nearly half an hour she decided that she had taxed the ship's resources enough for one day and forced herself to leave the shower. After drying off she dressed in her uniform, leaving the shirt sleeves unbuttoned for now and the jacket lying over the back of one of the chairs in the lounge. Looking at the two large crates, and one smaller one, lying on the floor she sighed for a moment before forcing herself into the task, opening the first crate and pulling out the clothing she had kept from Babylon 5. She had never really owned a lot of clothing, usually just her uniforms and one or two good dresses for when she was off duty. All of these she piled onto the bed while she scavenged through the wardrobe for hangers to put them on. To her complete surprise there was a good supply of hangers already there and her clothes were quickly hung up. She thought that she might have had to go down to supplies to request things like coat hangers, but someone seemed to have done a good job in supplying her quarters with everything she might need, including soap and the like in her bathroom. Susan quickly unpacked the rest of the crate and tossed her clothing into the drawers beneath her bed, which fortunately had come quipped with four easy to reach drawers which were perfect for storing all sorts of things. Then that crate empty she tossed it aside, making a quick mental note to get someone to take all the empty storage crates down to the cargo bay in case they were needed. The second large crate contained all of the rest of her personal items, including books, cookware, knick-knacks and the rest of the items she had thought important enough to bring with her from Babylon 5. Finally she pulled the foam wrapped packages that contained her certificates of promotion. After looking proudly at the one that proclaimed her promotion to captain for a moment she put them aside to place in her office later, along with the two painting she had though good enough to keep. It took her nearly another half an hour to put everything away in its correct places, but even when it was done the rooms of her quarters still look empty and barren and she was reminded of exactly how little she had actually kept from her old quarters. Still it was about the same amount of possessions she had when she first arrived on Babylon 5. Over the years she had indulged in shopping a lot in her time off, and although she didn't think it likely that as the captain of a warship she would have as much free time, she certainly would be visiting places that were larger than Babylon 5, although they would likely not have the same variety of good that could be found on the station. Pushing the now empty crates into the equally empty storeroom she turned to the last crate, the one John had sent her. Opening it up she pulled out the Minbari clothing that John and Delenn had sent her held it briefly against one cheek again to feel the soft fabric before placing them in the wardrobe with her uniforms and the rest of her clothing. G'Kar's Narn cookware she put on a shelf in the kitchen, admiring the way the dark earthen tones of the pottery dominated the dull room. Londo's bottles of brevare she eyed suspiciously before placing on a shelf in the lounge room, next to a vase her mother had once owned. She wasn't sure if Centauri wine was actually fit for human consumption, but the light shining through the reddish-yellow liquid did have a nice effect. Perhaps if she ever had someone visiting she could offer them a glass of the brevare and see what happened, especially if it was someone she didn't like, for some reason immediately thinking of the Psi-Cop Bester. Dismissing those thoughts as idle fantasy she quickly flicked through the rest of the items in the crate, eager to be done with the job of unpacking and back to her real job. The music data crystals Franklin had sent her she scattered around the player in her bedroom, making another mental note to listen to them sometime. Garabaldi's data crystals she dumped in the bottom of one of her drawers along with the Daffy Duck boxer shorts he had sent her. As she did so something fell out of one of the pockets and onto the ground. Reaching down she picked up another data crystal, this one wrapped in a piece of paper. Susan pulled the paper away from the crystal and scanned the writing, reading it out load as she did so. Susan, I thought you might find this interesting. G. Slipping the paper into her pant's pocket she slipped the data crystal into the player. Instead of a message or anything interesting coming up all that appeared on the screen was what appeared like static. Frowning she pulled the crystal out of the player and tried it again, but with the same results. 'There must be something on it,' she thought, realising that if the crystal had been blank the screen would not have displayed anything at all. Susan tried several more attempts, asking the computer to filter out any interference it could find. There was nothing though and finally she gave up in frustration, tugging the crystal out of the reader in annoyance. Opening up the drawer where she had tossed the rest of the data crystals Garibaldi had sent her she moved to place this one in there as well. As she did though Susan noticed a strange marking on the bottom of the crystal. Data crystals were not usually marked like that as it interfered with the storage process. Usually if an identifying mark was needed a label was added. This one though had a peculiar symbol inscribed on the bottom. She looked at it closely, noticing that it appear strangely familiar. After staring at it for a moment the symbol's origin came to mind. It was Vorlon, in fact one of the symbols she had seen adorning Kosh's ship. Unfortunately she didn't read Vorlon, so that wasn't a lot of help. Placing the crystal back in the drawer with the others she pushed it shut and glance up at her clock again. It now read nearly 10:00, which meant that she had managed to waste another hour and a half of her normal day. Slightly annoyed with herself she forgot about the reason she had been taking the time off in the first place and hurried about the lounge room straightening everything while at the same time trying to pull on her jacket and button up her shirt sleeve. Finally she managed to get that all done and after tucking her framed certificates under one arm hurried from her quarters and into her office. After sliding her data card into the door lock to ensure the door to her quarter was secured Susan placed her certificates on her desk in a haphazard manner and sat down at in her chair, ready to get on with the day ahead. She was nearly three hours late, when compared to her normal start time, but fortunately the slate was fairly clean this morning. "More of Petrov's work probably," she muttered softly to herself as she scrolled down the list of messages, choosing what to read and what to discard. The first message was a vid message from Commander Petrov. She tap the control that would open it and watched as the Commander's face filled the screen. "Good morning Captain, or afternoon as it may well be. I'm sorry to have to force you to take some rest like that, but as your executive officer it is my job to ensure that you are fully rested and ready to do your job, and after all that happened yesterday I didn't think that you would be without a good nights sleep. Anyway just letting you know that it was me that deactivated you alarm, although you will probably know that by now. I don't intend on making a habit of this, but I thought that just once you wouldn't mind a sleep in. Don't worry about being late I have taken care of most things for the morning, not that there is a lot going on at the moment anyway. I will expect you for lunch, but no sooner hopefully." Susan decided to forgive him, after all she had enjoyed sleeping that extra hour or so, and as Petrov had said in his message it wasn't like there was a lot going on. Still as the ship's captain Susan thought she should set an example, and that meant not sleeping in while the rest of her crew were busy working. Fortunately she had learnt a few tricks on Babylon 5 and after bringing up the computer service menu quickly deactivated the Commander's access to her person systems, ensuring that he never had the chance to do anything like that again. "I guess there are some bonuses to working with Mr Garibaldi after all," Susan said to herself as she smiled at a job well done. She didn't like having to do that, especially as she wanted to get alone with her new crew. But she liked people altering her computer settings even less. Closing down the service menu she quickly scanned the rest of the messages, noticing one was a report about the repairs on the artificial gravity system, while the rest were nothing more than information about new crew members and lists of goods bought in on the latest cargo shuttles. She quickly scanned the cargo lists and deleted them and filed the crew dossiers away for later reference. That done there was only one message left on her computer left to read and eager to be done she opened that. The repair report indicated that the artificial gravity system was now operating at it's optimum, which meant that it was still less that perfect, but at least it was working now. Gravity was stable across all decks and there were no longer any fluctuations as the power supply rose and fell. Attached to the report were several suggestions from the chief engineer Philip Moore and Dr Kozlowski on how to improve the system. She scanned them, but found little in the files that she even understood so quickly decided not to authorise any alterations until she knew more. For a moment she thought about sending off a message asking for more information but dismissed that idea when she realised that such an action would probably result in a flood of reports from engineering, none of which she would understand any better. Finishing with the last of the reports she sat back in her chair spun around to look at the barren room. Petrov had wanted her to take the entire morning off, but after a couple of minutes sitting in her chair doing nothing as she was seriously contemplating watching some of the films on the data crystals Garibaldi had sent her. That probably wouldn't be a good idea though, and would only leave her hot and bothered. For another minute she sat and idly swirled her finger across the screen, absently drawing shapes of the console. As she sat there thoughts slowly began to slip back to the past and unbeknownst to her she began to trace a face with her finger, gently, and with soft caressing touches. Her pleasant daydreams ended abruptly though as a harsh beeping sound cut into her thoughts. Glancing up she noticed that the screen on her desk was now displaying a flashing indicator indicating an important message. She tapped the control on her desk that would bring up the message and noticed with some confusion that it was text only, and that it also had no source listed. This was most unusual as she would not expect an anoymonous message on an Earth Alliance warship. The security system had been been designed to always tag a message with a code indicating it's source to prevent false orders from being sent. This message though had no code, no source, and no sender's address. Despite her trepidation about what the message may contain Susan opened it and slowly read the words as they filled the screen. "If you want to know why Futurecorp was interested in Arisia 3 then come to the Lazarus Casino in New Vegas today at 14:30. Sit in the main restaurant area, and I will contact you there. Look for someone wearing a Futurecorp badge on their lapel. Come alone and without a weapon or the meeting is off." That was it, no name or anything that might identify the send, just the message. Susan thought for a moment and then pressed the button for a hard copy and waited while the printer slid out the small piece of recycled paper containing the message on the screen. Susan sat back and considered the message for a minute. She knew now that there was more to the attack at the cafe yesterday than just an assassination of a business rival. Anyone capable of cutting though Earthforce's security to send an anonymous message either had access to some fairly sophisticated technology or a very good hacker. That would suggest money and therefore either one of the companies or the Martian Mafia. Susan didn't really want to have anything to do with either, but she was interested in finding out why the lawyer had been killed, and why exactly Futurecorp had been interested in what was, according to the Earth Alliance records, a fairly worthless mining lease. They had certainly been interested enough to offer enough money to allow her to retire from Earthforce and live comfortably for the rest of her day should she wish. Pocketing the slip of paper Susan rose and left the room, making up her mind to go to the meeting, despite the fact it could possible be a trap. There were too many questions left unanswered, and she didn't like that one bit. More pressing concerns caught her attention though as her stomach gave a hungry rumble and she decided that the shuttle bay via the dining room might not be a bad idea. After all the message had said the meeting was at two thirty in the afternoon, so that still left her with plenty of time to get there. As she left the room Susan's mind was more occupied with thoughts about the message that her surrounding and she did not notice the message on the screen quietly deleting itself, ensuring that there was no way it could possibly be traced now. Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 7, Part B Date: Sun, 18 Oct 1998 00:37:49 +0930 ------------------------------------------------------------ The officer's dining room was empty by the time Susan arrived, as she expected it would be this late in the morning. Still she didn't really mind eating alone, in fact she quite enjoyed it. There was little enough time on board a starship when it's captain could be alone, so every little bit helped, although it had been a long time since she had served on a large warship like the Rasputin. Still she had other things on her mind this morning than how many other people were in the dining room, namely the message she had just received. She was still undecided exactly what to do about it. Sure she wanted to find out more about the reasons behind the attack on the station, but the way the message had been sent troubled her greatly. Susan wouldn't have countered herself as an amateur in regards to the workings of the communications system, having several times circumvented normal procedure to bypass the security system on Babylon 5 when her father was dying. But even then the messages were not anonymous, in fact the only way she knew to get an anonymous message is if both sides agreed on the system before hand. During the civil war it had been possible for the resistance on Mars to send almost untraceable messages to Babylon 5, but that was only after both sides had agreed on frequencies and that sort of thing. Given the general emphasis Earthforce placed on security in communication at the moment it wasn't likely that someone from the outside had managed to break their code and send the message, which meant that someone within Earthforce or the government had sent it, or at the very least someone with a lot of knowledge about Earthforce security systems. Both answers were equally troubling, especially as the message was supposed to come from someone in Futurecorp, or at least it was structured to give that expression. Following her reasoning Susan now thought that was unlikely, which meant that someone else had sent the message and it was most likely a trap, unless there was some sort of conspiracy and someone on the inside was trying to pass on information to her so she could break it wide open. Sighing deeply at the confusing choices she faced Susan walked over to the dispenser to see what glories the autochef had managed to cook up for her breakfast today. As expected the food was little more than the normal artificial slush that was served on most Earthforce vessels, nutritious but not very appetising. She picked up a plate though and took a seat near the vid screen, which someone had left running. ISN was the channel currently selected and they were running a story about an IPX expedition into Vorlon space, which didn't sound like a particularly good idea to Susan. Still now that the Vorlons were gone it was bound to happen sooner or later, she could only hope that she wouldn't have to be the one sent to rescue them when they got themselves into trouble, and sooner or later they would. She could still vividly remember the horror unleashed on Babylon 5 when they had activated the alien device they found in hyperspace and nearly bought about the end of this universe. Although quick thinking on the part of Sheridan and the rest of the crew had managed to save the day she still was very sceptical of the methods of the IPX staff, they were too quick to make decisions and did not think things through thoroughly enough for her liking. On the screen the ISN reporter was interviewing a Captain Lawton who was about to take command of the mission, and had Susan been less concerned about other matters she might have found it interesting. Instead it was just an annoyance, and the whole idea gave her cold chills, so she shut down the screen and dug into her meal. As expected her meal was nothing spectacular, but it did take her mind off other matters for a while and focused it instead on the nature of her food. Somewhere, on Proxima III or one of the other colonies there was a vast vat where the protein that made up her meal was grown. Few people could afford real food any more, preferring instead the cheaper artificial food which was really nothing more than the necessary proteins and nutrients mixed together with colouring and flavour and then repackaged into a hundred different forms. It sustained life, but it wasn't really what she liked to eat, especially after being spoiled on Babylon 5 with fresh fruits and vegetables from the hydroponics gardens. Susan resolved to put thoughts of the origins of her meal into the deepest recesses of her mind and focus instead on the taste, which really wasn't that bad all things considered. That done she quickly polished off her meal and was about to clear away the plate when her linked beeped. Tapping the receive button she said, "yes what is it?" A slightly hesitant, voice at the other end responded, "sorry to disturb you captain but Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt was wondering if you would like to join him in the shuttle bay. There is a shuttle coming in from Earth soon with some of the new Starfury pilots on board and he was wondering if you wouldn't mind coming down and greeting them with him." "Tell him I will be down in a few minutes," Susan said, clearing away what was left of her meal and heading towards the exit. She paused only for the small amount of time that it took to switch off the vid screen before heading for the lift down to the lower decks. No sooner had she walked off the lift into the shuttle bay before she had a data pad shoved towards her by a young duty officer who was waiting for her. Looking at the pad she noticed it contained a list of names and one, a Lieutenant Audrey Schmitt immediately caught her attention. 'No wonder the Lieutenant-Commander wanted me to meet the shuttle,' she thought with a brief smile lighting up her face. Looking up from the pad she caught the eye of the duty officer and asked, "where can I find Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt?" "He asked me to direct you to him Captain," the NCO replied. "Lead on then." "Yes Captain," he said with a slightly sloppy salute which Susan barely even noticed. "If you will just follow me." The duty officer led her across the shuttle bay to a small gathering on the far side, in an region that had been hidden behind a stack of crates and other containers before. Standing around were Lieutenant-Commander Alister Schmitt, Commander Gregor Petrov, and her chief engineer Philip Moore, who looked like he had just come from the engine room with a streak of black grease or something similar running down the side of much of his uniform. Alister Schmitt was in an animated discussion with the other officers about a sporting event of some kind, at least that was all Susan could make out before they noticed her and ended their conversation to welcome their Captain. "Good of you to come Captain," Alister said in a jovial tone, a little different from the way he had been on other days. Susan also noticed that he was wearing his best uniform, and his boots were polished so bright she was beginning to wonder if perhaps some sort of warning should be put on them, especially with the light from huge shuttle bay spotlights shining off them. Walking up to the group she also noticed that Commander Petrov was looking a little concerned. 'Probably worried if I am going to chew him out after what he did,' she thought. Having put the morning to good use anyway she had already decided not to say anything. Looking over at Alister she said, "you are looking a little different this morning Lieutenant-Commander. If I didn't know better I would have thought that an admiral was coming to visit instead of just a shuttle load of pilots. Is there something I should know." "Nothing important Captain, I just cleaned my uniform and boots this morning that's all," was the response, but for some reason Alister could not keep a cheerful smile off his face. "I see," Susan said with an answering smile. She turned and looked at the rest of the officers. "So what were you all discussing when I got here?" "Nothing important," Petrov answered. "Just talking about the latest football results from the qualifying rounds of the world cup. Then Lieutenant-Commander Moore here started an argument about who had the right to call their sport football and that was about when you arrived." Susan sent a quizzical look the engineers way as he hurried to explain. "What I was saying Captain is that soccer doesn't have the right to be the only sport called football, what about rugby?" Susan shook her head in amusement, "well to tell you the truth gentlemen I have never really been that interested in sport. There are other more important things in life for me." "Like basketball," Petrov said with a smile, before narrowly avoiding an elbow from the engineer. Further argument, however playful, was put on hold though as the red light above the right airlock came on, indicating that a shuttle was inbound. Shortly after another light came on over the second airlock. "Well it certainly seems to be busy this morning," Susan said. "Which shuttle are you all waiting for?" Alister pointed towards the right airlock. "That one I believe. I don't know what the other shuttle is, but it is probably just another cargo transport." Susan nodded and they all stood there quietly as the airlock doors opened and the large troops shuttle was carried across the bay by the giant claw-like magnetic clamps that hung from the ceiling. There where two ways of moving shuttles around a bay, the trolley method where a shuttle landed on a movable trolley-like arrangement and was rolled into its dock, and the system that the Warlock warships used with was basically a large magnetic clamp that carried the heavy shuttles around the docking bays. The trolley system was used on Babylon 5, but was not really feasible for even the largest warships, although the Rasputin's fighter bay did use a similar, if a lot smaller, system. Perhaps because she was used to the much safer system that was used on the Babylon 5 station Susan found herself a little worried that the massive troop shuttle would fall on her head as it was swung out across the deck before being lowered into position. The clamp was attached by metallic alloys of exceptional strength though, so there was little chance of that happening. Instead the incoming shuttle was lowered safely down until its landing struts sat firmly on the shuttle bay deck, right between another, empty shuttle and the large piles of cargo Susan had walked around earlier. As the clamp receded to pick up the other incoming shuttle in airlock two the ground crew ran up with a portable ladder so the newly arrived pilots could disembark. In ones and twos they did so, all carrying heavy looking bags of personal equipment. The rest of their possessions would either be on board the shuttle or would arrive on a latter shuttle. Despite the long trip from Earth most still looked fresh and awake. Susan felt faintly disgusted thinking that they probably got more sleep on the shuttle than she did most nights. Still she smiled and greeted each of the new arrivals one by one as they filed off the shuttle, as did Alister who would be their direct commander on the Rasputin. As she greeted them she was briefly reminded of the fighter pilots on Babylon 5, how they had looked before the wars and how different they were now. These men and woman showed just as much experience, and behind every face she could see the hardness that only came with experience in battle. One of the last off the shuttle was a tall woman in the uniform of a lieutenant. Susan was immediately taken by the resemblance between her flight commander and the pilot. Both were tall, and their eyes were the same shade of brown. The young pilot was certainly more excitable than her father, shaking Susan's hand with great vigour and professing her pleasure at being assigned to the Rasputin. With Alister she was even less reserved, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him while Susan and the other officers pretended not to notice. After Audrey and the other pilots had left Susan turned to her flight commander and said, "a friend of yours Mr Schmitt?" He nodded, "umm yes, my daughter actually Captain. She had just finished training at the academy and asked to be posted here." Petrov raised an eyebrow. "And Earthforce agreed?" Alister nodded again then looked at the Commander with a slight grin covering his face. "Well actually I was allowed to choose which pilots were going to serve under me." "I understand completely Lieutenant-Commander," Susan said. "It can be difficult serving away from your families. Just make sure her presence does not interfere with your job." "I won't captain," Alister assured her. "Good," Susan said turning around to watch the activity in the shuttle bay. The small crowd of fighter pilots had swaggered off in the direction of the lifts where one of the crewmen was busy directing them towards their quarters and all the necessary amenities. By now the second shuttle, a small atmospheric model that Susan recognised as one of the Rasputin's own, had arrived and been lowered onto the deck on the far side of the shuttle bay. It's single occupant turned out to be Dr Nathan Kozlowski who was hurrying towards the lift, his face almost hidden behind a large pile of plastic covered packages he carried in his arms. Susan frowned as she saw him and muttered, mainly to herself, "what the hell is he up to now." Philip heard her comment and replied, "I believe the doctor is working on some new special project. He mentioned it yesterday, something that will change life as we know it I think his words were." Susan frown grew even deeper. "He said to me he just wanted some unimportant parts or something like that. I thought he was here to keep an eye on the running of this vessel as part of its testing, not to start experimenting. Mr Moore perhaps you would like to have a word with him sometime to make sure he works on any of his projects strictly in his own time." "I will take care of it Captain," the engineer assured her. "Well if that's it for crew arrivals for a while I guess I had better get back to work," Petrov cut in. "I still have to arrange quarters for fifty new pilots and a hundred other things that have to be done before we will be ready to get under way." "Actually there is one other thing I wanted to discuss with you Commander," she said, handing Petrov the slip of paper containing the message she had been sent. "Someone sent this to me this morning, as an anonymous message. I was wondering what your opinion was." Petrov scanned the short message before replying. "This was an anonymous message?" he asked cautiously. As Susan nodded Philip Moore who was still standing nearby broke in to their conversation. "I didn't think it was possible to send an anonymous message to an Earth Alliance warship, what with security and all that." "Well someone did," Susan said. "I don't know how but they managed to do it." "Amazing," Philip said shaking his head. "I mean I know it is possible to do within a system, in fact quite easy if you know how, all you need is the correct pass codes. But an anonymous message from outside the system is supposed to be impossible. Are you sure it was completely anonymous, there was no source indicated or anything like that." Susan shook her head. "No. It was completely anonymous with no indication at all of where it came from." "And that makes me inclined the think you shouldn't have anything to do with whoever sent this message," Petrov said. "After all if it was legitimate they would hardly be sending anonymous messages to Earthforce vessels." "Still I am thinking of going anyway just to make sure. It is possible that the message is real and there is lot more to the whole situation that I originally thought." Petrov shook his head in disagreement. "I am not sure I can agree with that Captain, New Vegas is hardly a safe place. If it was on Mars High or one of the other areas where Earthforce still has some presence maybe, but New Vegas...that place is a haven of criminals, rebels, and who knows what else." "I would have to agree with the Commander Captain," Philip said, although he sounded less sure of himself. "Well I don't." Everyone turned at looked at Alister, most of them having forgotten he was there. The flight commander looked a little nervous at all the attention but forged on with his argument. "I mean where is your spirit of adventure. Even if this message is a hoax there is little they can do to the Captain in a crowded casino, and if it isn't and you don't go then you miss out on a valuable opportunity." "I still don't like the idea," Petrov said with a growing frown. "It is too dangerous." "Perhaps," Susan agreed. "But it is an opportunity I don't think I can afford to give up." Petrov still didn't look happy. "Very well Captain, but I will have to insist that you take a couple of Major Logan's marines along with for protection." Now it was Susan's turn to look unhappy. "But the message did say to come alone." "Nevertheless I still think you should take them. They don't have to be with out when you meet whoever sent this message, but having them in the casino just in case can't hurt." Susan nodded in agreement. "Ok, can you let Major Logan know and get her two assign a couple of her men, and ask her to make them look something like tourists at least so this guy, whoever he is, doesn't get too suspicious. If he spots them anyway then it is too bad. The message says to be there are fourteen thirty which is," Susan looked down at her link, which along it's other functions also has a small digital display built into it, "just over three hours from now. Ask the major to meet me back down her in an hour, I will prepare a shuttle for launch." "Yes Captain," Petrov said with a smart salute before walking quickly towards the lift. "Well I have to go to Captain," Philip Moore said. "Good luck down there." "I can only hope so." "A good pilot makes his own luck Captain," Alister cut in. "Come lets pick out a good shuttle. I assume you will want to fly it yourself?" Susan thought about that for a moment before responding, "yes, I think I will. It is has been a while since I flew anything. I will need a co-pilot though, just in case." Alister nodded as he consulted a data pad that he had pulled unseen from a pocket. "Hmm it looks like shuttle 3 is already prepped and refuelled. I will give you that one, and mark it down as being on a test run just in case anyone asks." "That is probably for the best," Susan said, slightly despondently. "At least then if something goes wrong I won't get anyone in trouble." "That is not a very good attitude to take Captain," Alister chided her. "After all as the old saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It is sort of my philosophy really." Susan smiled despite the worry that was eating away at her inside. "I am afraid I am a little more pessimistic than you Lieutenant-Commander, and perhaps after the way everything has been turning out lately I think I have good reason to." Alister shook his head with a wry smile on his face. "Well at least you are alive Captain, and as long as you are still alive things can not be that bad." "I might disagree with you on that." "Then you do not understand the philosophy of a fighter pilot," the flight commander said, now with a broad smile on his face. "If I get time sometime I will tell you. It is the philosophy I live my life by, and it has worked out so far. Although I am still only a Lieutenant-Commander so maybe it is not foolproof. Still the way I see things Captain everything works out for the best eventually." "And if it doesn't?" Susan asked. The flight commander shrugged. "Then you are dead." "Being dead isn't going to help me much." "Well perhaps not, but you won't have to worry about anything any more, you won't be able to." They both pulled up outside the doors leading into the smaller shuttle bays that held three of the six atmospheric shuttles. To free up space in the main shuttle bay the smaller shuttles had been given their own bays. Susan wasn't exactly sure on the wisdom, but it did make launching the shuttles a lot quicker as all that had to be done was to depressurise the smaller bay and open the outer doors, avoiding the messy process of the airlock in the main bay. "I guess that is one way of looking at things," Susan said with a smile of her own, appreciating the humour in the flight commanders words. "Indeed it is Captain," Alister said as he open the door leading into shuttle bay 3. "Now lets get this shuttle ready to launch, we don't have a lot of time left if you are going to get there on time." ------------------------------------------------------------ Dr Nathan Kozlowski's quarters were like his mind, cluttered, but full of all sorts of useful junk. The room was dominated by a large desk, covered with the doctor's latest notes, inventions, and the equipment for vital repairs. The standard blank walls found in all the other ships rooms were hidden behind large shelves that covered all the walls. These shelves were piled high with even more paper, old models of the Rasputin, engine parts, and a lot more junk. There was even a small portable fusion reactor sitting on one shelf, right next to a large fish tank in which a single, unhappy looking goldfish swam in endless circles. None of this mattered to Nathan though as he swept everything on his desk into a small crate and placed the now full crate onto one of the shelves. Then with the space made available he gathered up the packages that he had dropped near the door earlier and placed them on the desk instead, eager to unwrap them. Like a child at christmas time he tore into the plastic covering and tossed it aside, before sorting through the components and tools he had bought with him from Mars. It has taken him nearly a day but he had finally managed to locate all the necessary components in the Earthforce storage depot. Of course sneaking them past the depot's quartermaster had taken much longer, but he had eventually managed it and now he was ready, there was only one more thing he needed. Pushing aside the contents of the packages for a moment he rummaged through one cluttered shelf before settling on a large foam wrapped package that was almost hidden behind the other junk on the shelf. With deliberate care he took the package down from it's resting place placed it on the desk, carefully not to make any sudden moves in case he damaged the contents of the package. Next he rummaged around in a chest that sat on the floor next to his bed, pulling out a radiation suit. After getting into the suit he made sure the door to his quarters was securely closed before removing the foam from the package. Inside the foam was a large metal box with the symbol of the Martian Consortium, one of the largest mining companies in the Alliance, on it. Carefully the doctor opened the box, exposing the shining metal that lay within. An indicator on his suit lit up as it detected the radiation from the metal inside. After making sure the metal inside was still intact, and not damaged in any way Nathan closed the box again and turned to the pile of components and tools on his desk, ready at last to begin. Unzipping the suit he wore he pulled a book off one of the shelves and opened it up at the first page, the page with a title that read, "What is a PPG." ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 7/16, Part C Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 00:34:04 +0930 See part A for disclaimers. ------------------------------------------------------------ The small atmospheric shuttle touched down delicately on the long landing strip outside the New Vegas dome, it's arrival going almost unnoticed among the steady traffic of other shuttles, ground vehicles, and monorail cars. Mars may only have a population of around two million, but right now it seemed that a large percentage of that population was here with Susan in New Vegas. The flight had been without any major dramas, and Susan had found it strangely relaxing, well except for the almost continuos chatter from her co-pilot, a middle aged former civilian pilot who had only recently signed up after his taxi business went bust during the war. He was a likeable enough man but his ability to talk about seemingly minor details for hours had got on Susan nerves after the first ten minutes. Fortunately after that they had enter the Martian atmosphere and both had been forced to keep an eye open for other traffic. The controllers on Mars High though kept her informed correctly and Susan's managed to avoid any contact with other fliers as she manoeuvred her vessel into an almost perfect landing. Now she was on the planet, walking toward the casino where the meeting was supposed to be held, in the company of Major Logan and two Marines who, although they had dressed casually, still looked like they were on parade. She hadn't originally intended on taking the Major along was well, but after she had insisted Susan didn't really feel like arguing against someone who looked like they every intention of not budging for their position. Looking around her Susan was reminded of how out of place she probably looked in the city, with it's glittering buildings and equally glittering people. Her destination, the Lazarus Casino, was not one of the largest in New Vegas, that title went to the Crown Casino which dominated the city in both size and glitter. However Lazarus was one of the nicer buildings, having been built into the northern side of the dome during the city's construction, so it was possible to look out over the Martian landscape while you gambled. It was also close to the shuttle landing strip so passengers could easily find their way on foot instead of having to take a taxi or shuttle bus across the dome to one of the other casinos. Susan would have thought that this would have made it popular, but it seemed fairly quiet outside as she walked through the large bronzed doors. Of course it would likely liven up later on that day when the last shift from the factories knocked off for the night and the workers, their credit chits flushed with new money would ride the transport tubes from across Mars to New Vegas. After passing the two hulking security men who scanned everyone who enter for weapons Susan found that her initial thoughts from the outside were wrong and the casino was actually a lot busier than she expect. Unknown to her the casino had another larger entrance built below the building, opening out into the New Vegas terminal for the Martian wide transport system. Not knowing quite where to go she asked directions to the restaurant and after being pointed in the right direction by one of the many security men who were scattered around the building headed off towards her destination with her three protectors close behind. Fortunately the restaurant was away from the main dining area, which meant that it was almost empty with most of the casino's patrons busy on the other side of the building, or still in their hotel rooms far above, sleeping off their previous night's activities. Spotting a smaller bar off to one side of the main eating area Susan led the Marines towards it. The bar was raised above the main restaurant and it would provide a good view of anything that happened below. "I think you should wait here Major," Susan said, pointing at an unoccupied table that overlooked the sunken eating area below. "After all I don't want you to scare off this guy, whoever he is." The Major looked concerned. "I am not sure that is a good idea Captain, what if he has a weapon. I am not sure I would be able to reach you in time." Susan smiled. "I don't think he would be able to get past the scanners would he now." She pointed towards the main door where it was still just possible to see the hulking shapes of the two security men holding the portable weapons scanners that had been used on everyone entering the building. "Anyone can fool the scanners Captain," the major replied, slowly opening her jacket to show Susan a glimpse of the blunt shape of a small PPG in it's holster beneath her arm. "It just takes a little skill. That an a good Earthforce issue jammer." "Put that away," Susan whispered, nodding towards the nearby security men. "I don't think they would be too happy to find you waving a gun around inside their casino. Lily glanced in the direction of the security and smiled at Susan;s concerns. "Don't worry Captain. They can't see us from here. Besides I am hardly waving it around." "I still think you should wait here, it will less suspicious for our friend, whoever he is." In response the Major shrugged and took a seat at the nearest table, indicating for her men to do the same. They hurried over from where they had been waiting near the bar. As they sat down Lily looked back up at Susan and said, "as you wish Captain, but do try to be careful. I will do what I can to protect you, but it will be difficult to do anything if this guy pulls a gun on you instead of talking." "I will be as careful as I possible can Major," Susan said as she walked away from the bar and took the short set of stairs down into the sunken restaurant. There she took a seat up against one of the large windows that looked out over the barren red Martian landscape. It was a glorious view, but Susan was too concerned about what might happen to enjoy it properly. It was actually a very nice restaurant, despite currently being empty. Crystal chandeliers, which much have cost the Casino's owners a fortune, hung from the high ceiling and the seat Susan currently found herself sitting in was soft and comforting, not at all like the hard Earthforce issue seating in the Rasputin's dining room. On the far side of the restaurant, beneath the raised bar area was a stage for a band or other entertainment. It was currently as empty as the restaurant though. In fact in the entire place the only people present were herself, the major and her men, and a fat Centauri tourist who was sitting on a table of his own near the bar. An impressive feast was spread out on the table in front of him, and one of the two waiters who serviced the room was currently taking an order from him for even more food. After several minutes of sitting quietly on her own she saw a waiter approaching with a tray bearing a drink. After placing it on a coaster he put in on her table. She tired to argue that she had not ordered anything, but he waved away her arguments by saying, "it is compliments of our other guest this afternoon Captain." He directed her attention to the Centauri tourist who, seeing her looking in his direction, raised his glass in a salute. Susan returned his salute, and almost breathed a sigh of relief when he did not make any move to join her, instead returning to his meal. The last thing she wanted to do now was trade conversation with a Centauri, unless he was her contact of course. That thought in mind she examined the Centauri closer, but could not see anything of real interest about him. He was larger than most Centauri, who tended to be slim. But one look at the meal on his table and Susan could see the reason for his weight. The table in front of him was piled high with plates of food, including what looked like an entire apple pie sitting off to one side. Susan chuckled to herself under her breath, wondering with no small amount of amazement how one person could eat so much, even a Centauri, well known for their love of good living. Thoughts of the Centauri were soon lost though as she sat down to wait for her contact to arrive, assuming that he was going to arrive and the whole thing was not just some sort of wild goose chase. She picked up her drink and looked at it for a moment, gently swirling the glass so the ice rolled around reflecting the light from the chandelier above. She didn't really want to drink anything right now, preferring to keep a clear head in case she had to act quickly. Instead she just watched the light playing off the ice cubes. Susan was still looking at the ice in her drink ten minutes later when suddenly the chair opposite her slid back with a loud grating sound. She looked up at the noise and watched as a man, dressed in a light grey suit, sat down at her table. On the lapel of his suit was a badge bearing the circular Futurecorp logo. Once seated he leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Captain Ivanova?" After she nodded in confirmation he let out a small sigh of relief. "I wasn't sure that you would come. It was a slightly unusual method I used to contact you, but I couldn't allow anyone else to know I was here or my life would be over." "I can understand your concerns Mr?" Susan looked at him, waiting for him to fill in his name. "Mr Black, Arnold Black. I work for Futurecorp and after what happened on the Mars station I knew I had to tell someone. There is so much going on that I couldn't just stand by and let them get away with killing Julia. Then I thought of you, and knew you would be the person to tell." "Why don't you start at the beginning Mr Black and tell me what exactly is going on." He looked hesitant for a moment and then asked her, "how much do you know so far. If you tell me what Julia passed on to you I can fill in the blanks a little quicker." Susan thought back to the what the lawyer had told, and realised it had been precious little. "I don't really know anything Mr Black. All your lawyer told me was that she was interested in buying a planet called Arisia 3, which up until that moment I didn't even know existed. Then as I was making a call to check on some details the gunmen appeared and started shooting up the place." Her contact nodded, "so you didn't hear anything about The Project, or Project A3?" Susan shook her head, "no nothing like that." He leaned closer, his eyes narrowing as he did so. "Are you sure Captain. Project A3, the name means nothing to you?" Susan felt a sudden tingle running up her spine as he spoke and realised with horror that he was scanning her. Unable to prevent her mind from defending itself she could only watch with growing panic as his face changed from one of concentration to a look of surprise, and anger. "You're a telepath," he hissed in surprise. "Y.. you must be mistaken," Susan managed to stutter out, all the while thinking only of escape. She pushed back her chair and made a move to run away as fast as she could, but before she could leave her seat the telepath's left hand clamped down on her arm, while his right came up from beneath the table, clutching a small, but still lethal looking, weapon. "I don't think you are going anywhere Captain. My superiors will be most interested in you, especially in light of what happened to agent K." His eyes narrowed even further and an evil grin began to spread across his face as he pointed the weapon towards her, slowly squeezing the trigger, making sure Susan could see everything he was doing. "Now don't move Captain, I don't want this to get messy." Before the weapon could fire though a large, meaty hand came down suddenly and grasped his wrist, and with a sickening crunch of bone twisted it sharply upwards. The gun fired, sending it's small stun dart shooting safely into the ceiling and out of harms way. The large hand then released the telepath's wrist, allowing his hand to flop downwards, the weapon slipping from now senseless digits. Before the telepath could react the same hand gripped the front of his shirt and hauled him bodily from his chair and onto his feet. Susan lifted her eyes, following the hand down it's large muscled arm to the body of a heavily built man who now stood beside the table. He was dressed in the uniform of the casino security, a uniform that was stretched tight across an impressive body that appeared more muscle than anything else. With a snarl at the whimpering telepath the security officer dragged him away, taking little notice of the way the telepath clutched his broken hand and cried out in pain. >From behind her Susan was aware of the sounds of running footsteps and glancing around saw Major Logan, followed closely by the two marines that had accompanied her hurrying across the empty room towards Susan's table. Susan turned around and looked back towards the security officer, watching him dragging the telepath across the bar towards a side exit. The fat Centauri she had noticed earlier was following the pair, an outrageous red and green cape flowing out behind him as he hurried to catch up with them. Even from her location she could hear the telepath's complaints, but fortunately it must have been a common occurrence as none of the waiters or other staff seemed to be interested in what was going on around them. Any further view of what was occurring was blocked by the sudden appearance of a gold suit directly in front of her. Looking up into the face of the owner of the suit Susan was confronted by a tall, thin man with dark, slicked back hair and what appeared to be a permanent facial tick. "Captain Ivanova?" the man asked, extending perfectly manicured hand in her direction. Susan took his hand, intending on shaking it, but he turned her hand around and raised it to his lips. "And you are?" she asked calmly, despite the fear she felt inside at what was going to happen to her now the telepath knew of her abilities. "Andre Manavis," the man said, still holding her hand in his. "I am the owner of this establishment and I must apologise for this incident Captain, had I known that man was a telepath I wouldn't have allowed him inside, and I can not image how he managed to sneak a weapon past my sensors." "How did you know he was a telepath?" she asked sharply. Manavis gave her a slick smile and pointed in the direction of the Centauri. "I have my own telepath, one that doesn't belong to Psi-Corp. It makes things a little easier for me, and no-one suspects anything. Of course you won't tell Psi-Corp now will you?" "I don't have a lot of dealings with the Psi-Corp Mr Manavis," Susan replied, still putting on a strong face. He nodded. "Well I Can't say I blame you. I used to do some business with them before the civil war, but since then they have increased their prices and although it is more expensive to hire my Centauri friend at least I don't have to deal with the Psi-Cops. And now that Mars is going to be independent I don't have to follow the Alliance rules any more either." Susan looked in the direction of the side exit and noticed the security men dragging the telepath through the door. "What are you going to do with him," she asked. Almost immediately she realised what the real answer would be, but for some reason felt almost comforted by that, although deeper inside she felt a little sick that she could wish someone, even a telepath, dead. "We will take good care of him," Manavis answered. "You need not worry about that. Now if you will excuse me for just one minute I have to consult with my assistant." He hurried off towards the side exit calling out for the Centauri telepath to wait. Manavis caught up with the Centauri telepath before he left the bar. "Make sure the staff is moved out of the room before I get there. The less witnesses there are the better, after all the last thing I want is a horde of Psi-Cops running around here looking for their friend here. I might need you later to see what everyone in the bar knows, for the usually price of course." The Centauri nodded his head once in agreement and then followed the bouncers into the kitchen. Manavis waited for a few minutes and then followed his assistant inside, another two security men joining him. Inside the large kitchen the telepath had been thrown on the floor, and was surrounded by a ring of security staff. He looked very concerned about his situation and even more so when one of the security men picked up and began admiring a large metal rod that had been sitting against the wall. Manavis walked over to the ring of security men and looked down at his prisoner. Then a thought grabbed him and he tugged the Centauri telepath aside and whispered to him. "Are you blocking any messages he might be trying to send to his bosses?" The Centauri nodded and said softly in heavily accented English, "he had been broadcasting almost constantly since Jack grabbed him, but I have blocked his thoughts. He is not strong enough to break through my block, us Centauri are much better at this sort of thing than Human telepaths." Manavis looked pleased, "good, I didn't want this place flooded by Psi-Cops, that would be a little bit too much right now. But I still need to send a message to them that the casino's of New Vegas are off limits to Psi-Corp and anyone else who wants to interfere with our business." Turning back to the injured telepath Manavis said, "Well, it looks like you have been a naughty boy doesn't it. I thought that we told your bosses before that we don't like telepaths running around New Vegas, and I certainly don't want them in my casino. Yet here you are, and threatening a hero of Mars no less." "That bitch is no hero," the telepath snarled at the gangster. Manavis just smiled at the telepath's outburst. "Ah but you see that is where you are wrong. She served as Sheridan's second and it was Sheridan who freed Mars and allowed me to get my casino back. And you go and threaten her with a weapon, in my own place no less. Didn't you read the sign over the entrance that said no weapons or telepaths allowed. Why that is twice you have broken the rules in one day." Sweat began to dribble down the telepath's forehead as he eyed the bouncer with the steel rod, who was now slapping it gently against his hand and smiling broadly at the telepath. There was nothing warm in that smile though, or in the manner of the other members of the casino's security team as they moved closer around the telepath. Searching for a way out of the situation he resorted to the most popular method used by the Psi-Corp, threats. "If you do not let me go right now you will have more trouble than you can handle with the Corp." Whatever reaction he had been seeking it certainly wasn't the peals of laughter that broke out around him. The only people in the room not laughing were the Centauri and Manavis both of whom just stood there staring calmly at their prisoner. Manavis waited quietly for the laughter to die down before responding to the telepath's threat. "I still don't think you understand the situation Mr Black, if that is your real name. You see Mars is no longer part of the Earth Alliance, so we don't follow your rules with regard to telepaths and the Psi-Corp. In fact I think a lot of people would want to see your kind dead after the way you treated the rebels during the war. So while that sort of threat may get you somewhere on Earth and the other Alliance worlds it doesn't carry much weight here on Mars, and even less so with in my casino. I am afraid you are going to have to be taught a lesson." "You can't do this," the telepath cried out. "I am a member of Psi-Corp, I have rights. You can't do anything to me." Manavis knelt down and patted the telepath on the cheek. "I will think you will find that I can do whatever I like. Without Earth Alliance troops to enforce the law around here we are going to have to do a little enforcing of our own from now on. At least until the new Mars government gets up and running and sends in its own police force." He then stood and looked at one of the bouncers. "Gag him Jack, I don't want his screaming to upset my customers. The security man in question nodded once and pulled out a roll of thick tape, quickly covering the telepath's mouth before he could utter another complaint. The other bouncer's grabbed his arms and dragged him bodily towards a back door, the telepath struggling furiously. Turning away Manavis looked at the Centauri telepath. "Make sure he is found somewhere near the Psi-Corps base, and try not to make as much of a mess this time. Last time I had to pay the cleaning staff a fortune to keep them quiet, and I don't want that happening again ok?" His assistant nodded once and followed the others out of the back door. Manavis watched them leave and then, after brushing a few specks of imaginary dust off his suit and making sure all his hair was still in place, left the kitchen and headed back to the main casino to mingle with the crowds. Just as he stepped out through the doors he noticed something shining on the floor. Bending down he picked it up. His face broke out with an amused smile when he noticed it was a Psi-Corp badge, which must have slipped from the telepath's pocket as they escorted him away. Rubbing it once he looked at his reflection in the metal before slipping it into his own pocket. Seeing Susan still standing next to her table he made his way back across the empty room to her side. "Captain Ivanova," he said, his voice apologetic. "I am so sorry that a nasty experience had to happen during your visit. Usually I run a nice clean casino, but unfortunately I have been having some trouble with Psi-Corp for some time. As he tried to kill one of my guests with a pistol you can see why I don't like his kind around here." "He will be ok." Susan hesitated, not really wanting to sound too interested in the telepath. "I mean I hope he won't get into any trouble over this incident." Manavis smiled at her concerns, "You need not worry about him Captain. I will ensure that Psi-Corp are informed of the situation and it will be taken care of soon enough. In fact My assistant is just bashing out a message for them on the old keyboard now. Now can I offer you a meal at our fine restaurant, on the house of course." "I think I have had enough excitement for one day Mr Manavis, I might just head back to my ship." "I understand how you must be feeling Captain, so let me offer you the service of my own personal shuttle to take you and your companions back to your vessel." Manavis gestured in the direction of one of the waiters who hurried towards his side. Susan was quick to refuse the offer though, not really wanting to turn up at the Rasputin a luxury shuttle, that might raise too many question. "There is no need, I have my own shuttle waiting for me, and I need to fly it back. After all my ship is leaving soon and it can't leave without all of it's shuttles." "Of course Captain," Manavis said, dismissing the waiter. "Then let me instead offer an invitation for you to visit my casino anytime you like, all meals on the house. I can not have the reputation sullied by this one incident." "That is most kind," Susan said, smiling despite her misgivings. She didn't like the smooth gangster any more than the telepath, and right now only wanted to leave and get away from the casino, the planet and in fact the whole system. "Anyway," Manavis continued, "I have other business to attend to right now, so I must abandon you I am afraid. If you should need anything for the rest of your stay then please let me, or one of my staff know and I will do my best to assist you." He shook hands with her this time and then after a final offer of assistance left Susan and her party, taking the same side exit that Susan had seen the security men dragging the telepath through before. As they headed towards the exit Susan turned to Major Logan and asked, "what do you think they will do to him?" Lily shrugged, "if he is lucky they will just mindwipe him or something like that, but probably they will just kill him." Susan looked appalled, both at the telepath's possible fate and the cold way Lily had answered her question. Inside she had already known what the answer would be, but despite her hatred for Psi-Corp she had never contributed to the death of a telepath before. Sure she had tossed one telepath who had tried to pick her up in an Io bar out a third story window, but he had been ok, eventually. "Can't we do something?" she asked hesitantly. The Major stopped just outside the casino doors and looked at her with concern. "Look Captain, I know how you feel, you wouldn't be human if you didn't feel something. But those guys in there are probably Martian Mafia and that telepath was dead the moment he walked in the door, there was nothing we could have done about it. Just because he attacked you doesn't mean that you are responsible for his death, assuming of course they kill him." "It doesn't make me feel any better though." "No it does," Lily agreed. "There is nothing we can do though, and filing a report would only lead to the Mafia coming after us, not to mention Psi-Corp. Let the two of them fight it out between them and we can just stay well out of the way." "That is probably for the best," Susan said finally. Inside she felt nothing but relief, realising that what ever the telepath had found out about her it would die with him. It sicked her to feel this way, but she could not help but feel the way she did, knowing that for now she was still safe from the Psi-Corp." "Of course all this leaves a lot more questions than answers," the Major continued. "I mean that telepath in there must have been tied up with the guys who attacked the lawyer on the station. That could mean that Psi-Corp was behind the whole thing." Susan waited until a small crowd of tourists had passed before answering. "Maybe, but I know of telepath's working outside the Corp before, and even inside there is a lot of division that is covered over and doesn't come to light. But you are right about one thing this is getting confusing. He nearly had me fooled there for a moment. He seemed more interested in finding out what I knew than anything else." Lily nodded, "that would suggest that he was working for the same people who sent those gunmen to kill the Futurecorp lawyer doesn't it." "I guess so," Susan said. She looked around to make sure that no-one else was listening into there conversion. But apart from the two marines who were walking a fair distance away, one guarding the front and the other the rear there was no other soul in sight. Even the marines were too far away to hear what they were saying, something Susan was glad of. "Then he kept asking about something called Project A3. That was when he tried scanning me." Lily looked confused about something for a second but there was no hesitation in her question. "A3! What was the name of that planet you were mentioning last night." "Arisia 3," Susan supplied. "That was it," Lily said a joyful look of discovery lighting up her face. "I think I have the answer then. The telepath and the gunmen were part of one organisation, maybe something being run by Psi-Corp, maybe not. Somehow Futurecorp found out about whatever they were up to and wanted in on the action. That is why that lawyer came to see you, so she could buy mining rights to the planet. Whatever is going on must have something to do with that planet, probably some sort of scam or corporate war. Those business types are very ruthless when it comes to money." Susan didn't look convinced. "That could be true, but I don't see why they need Arisia 3 though. From what I could find out about it, there is not much there. It is just a small mining world near the Narn border. Most of the major corporations turned down the mining lease when it was first offered, mainly because of it's distance from Earth." "I still think the answer is there Captain," Lily said. "If you like I can look into it further, I like this detective type of thing, and it will give me something to do on board the ship. Life for a marine is not that interesting you know. Most of the time we just sit around and play games in the rec hall, or train in the gym." "Well if you don't mind I would love you to help out. The whole thing has got me beat, not to mention worried. The sooner it is all sorted out the better." "Then it is a deal Captain," Lily said with a smile. "I will begin as soon as we get back on board." ------------------------------------------------------------ The Rasputin's shuttle bay was almost empty by the time Susan and the Marines returned. The trip back had been a contemplative affair as Susan thought back to what had happened in the restaurant, trying to think of a way to avoid what had happened. Try as she might there was no way she could avoid the fact that the Major was right. The way the security men had showed up so quickly meant that they must have detected that her contact was a telepath, and no casino liked telepath working over their games, no matter if they were part of Psi-Corp or not. Even on Babylon 5 there had been rule that no telepaths were permitted in the casino there. She still felt a little fearful that the telepath would somehow escape, but for some reason she no longer felt even the slightest remorse for what had happened. It was not a comforting realisation, but one that she would have to live with now. There was no way the past could be changed now, although she knew that if she had to do the whole thing over she would not have left the Rasputin today. The telepath may still have been killed by Manavis and his men, but at least then it would not have been on her conscience. As soon as everyone had disembarked from the shuttle she took the Major aside and asked her not to relay anything that had happened on the surface to anyone else. Fortunately she had agreed and promised to tell her two men to do the same so at least Susan did not have to worry about anyone linking her to the death of the telepath. She felt a little paranoid, especially with a Psi-Corp representative coming on board soon. Still she had lived on Babylon 5 with a telepath, but the station was a lot bigger than the Rasputin and Talia Winters had been more than just another telepath. Sighing at the hand the fates had dealt her this time Susan made her way onto the bridge, ignoring the ensign who leapt up to announce her arrival and plonked herself down in her chair, which had just been hurriedly vacated by a worried looking Commander Petrov. "Well Captain?" he asked after waiting patiently for several minutes for her to tell him what had happened. "What happened." Susan looked up, her face showing the tiredness she felt. "No-one turned up Commander. Whoever he was he must have seen the Marines." "Sorry about that Captain, but I couldn't let you go without some sort of protection." Susan nodded in understanding, "that is ok Commander. I think he might not have turned up anyway. It was probably just a wild goose chase." Petrov nodded. "Well I am sorry anyway Captain." He looked at her closely. "You look tired Captain. I can handle everything her if you would prefer to get some sleep now. The ship won't be under way until tomorrow now, I just got word from Mars High that some of the troops for the transports are delayed so they have to put back departure by at least half a day. You might as well head off to bed and you can tell me the rest of what happened tomorrow morning." Susan smiled for the first time since she left this afternoon. "Still looking after my welfare Commander," she asked in a teasing tone. "Alway Captain," Petrov replied in a more serious voice. "It is my job after all." "Well I think I will take you advice then, but this doesn't mean that I am going to every night. I have just had a very long afternoon." Petrov nodded. "Good night then Captain," he said. Then as she was about to leave he said, "oh and Captain. Sweet dreams." Susan paused for a moment at the door looking back at her executive officer. "I can only hope," she said, knowing inside that it was unlikely that she would sleep well tonight at all. After all two nights in a row was too much to hope for. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 7, Part D Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 00:43:02 +0930 For disclaimers see part A I will be away tomorrow so the final part of this story will not be done until wednesday at the earliest. ------------------------------------------------------------ 6:25, February 3, 2262 Dawn over Mars was a beautiful thing. As the sun rose and slowly slipped across the broken landscape it lit up the red sands of the planet, giving them a glow they normally didn't possess. It was a soft, peaceful image that calmed the mind and soul, and over the years had lured many visitors to the planet. However in a few places the peaceful landscape was broken by the low, silvery shapes of the various domed cities and factories. They did not add to the beauty of the dawn though, instead they stood out as something unnatural and mechanical against a landscape shaped and dominated by nature. One of these domes was Gates Dome, home to the rich and those lucky enough to be friends of the rich. The occupants of the shuttle that had just set down on the dome's landing platform cared little for the beauty of the dawn, or the promise of renewal and life it bought. They cared only about their own concerns, plots, and plans. In the whole scheme of things their concerns where minor, but to Darren Anderson and his female companion they were everything. Passing the major apartment buildings they made their way to small structure set slightly aside from the rest of the buildings. It was roughly square, built around a large, open, tree filled, courtyard. Anderson and his companion passed through the main doors of the apartment, right past the sleeping security officer without him even stirring and entered the courtyard. There Anderson stopped for a moment beside the central fountain and pointed to the stone bench in the shade of a large tree. He sent his thoughts into the woman who had accompanied him. 'Wait here. I must meet with someone important, but it should not take too long. As soon as I returned we will be ready to begin our journey.' Instead of replying the woman sat on the bench, crossing her hands over her lap, and seeming to relax into meditation. Satisfied Anderson took no further notice of her as went on to the wooden door leading into on of the apartments, knocking once. The door opened immediately and he entered, leaving the woman alone with her thoughts. Inside the apartment Anderson moved through the rooms until he found his superior sitting in a chair in his office, looking forlornly at an empty fish tank sitting in front of him. Anderson remembered that tank as one that had contained a fish the last time he had visited, but it wasn't like Harvey Kiel, one of the most calm and powerful telepaths he knew, to get upset over a simple dead fish. Quickly he entered the office, not wanting to upset his superior even further by being later than he already was. As soon as he reached the Psi-Cop's side he was assaulted by a wave of angry thoughts, breaking through the walls he had so carefully set up with very little effort. 'You are late,' came the thoughts of the Psi-Cop, a cold anger plainly evident, but underlying that something else that worried Anderson more, the brief hint of fear. There was something that was troubling Kiel greatly indeed. 'Sorry sir,' was Anderson's reply. 'There has been a problem and I was delayed.' Instead of replying Kiel stood and lead his assistant out into the garden, picking up his watering can as he did. Anderson knew this was a good sign, as gardening always reduced any anger Kiel might be feeling, anger that he didn't really want to be at the end of right now. He waited for a reply for several minutes before the Psi-Cop was ready to continue. When his thoughts came this time they were calm, and no longer carried the anger they had before. 'What sort of problem, I hope the meeting between Ivanova and our agent went ahead as planned.' Anderson shook his head. 'I am afraid not sir, the agent we sent has not returned and he can not be found anywhere. The owner of the casino, a Mr Manavis, said that he remembered someone who resembled our agent entering, and his security records have confirmed that. We have done a quick search of the place, but have been unable to find any trace so far. I didn't want to authorise a full search just yet, as we may not get cooperation from the new Mars authorities for that.' 'I want that full search, and do it no matter what the Mars government says. No matter if he is alive or dead I want him located, preferably alive so he can tell us what happened, but even the dead can tell some tales.' Kiel stopped, knelt down and pulled out a weed from the garden. 'Was there any word on Ivanova. Did she arrive at the casino or not?' Anderson consulted his data pad again, scanning the statement given by the casino owner. 'She did turn up sometime after our agent. She was with three others, Mr Manavis believed that they were EAS Marines, at least that is what he thought from the way they moved, always looking around for danger.' Kiel stood up and tapped his finger against his chin. 'So she did not follow the warning in the message, but that was to be expected. I would have been suspicious if she turned up alone. What happened after that, did she meet with our man or not?' 'Not according to Mr Manavis' statement,' Anderson replied, carefully checking the statement again. 'He said that she arrived, left her companions in the main bar area before taking a seat in the restaurant, just as in the plan. She waited for nearly two hours before leaving, and no-one approached her in that time. Mr Manavis even provided a list of what foods she ordered in that time, although I hardly think that is important.' Looking contemplative Kiel resumed his wander through the garden, his assistant falling into step just behind him. 'What do we know about this Mr Manavis, is his statement trustworthy.' Again Anderson consulted his data pad before responding. 'His statement was corroborated by several others in the casino, including the two doormen, a waiter, and a Centauri tourist. None of the other guests or staff in the casino saw anything though. As I mentioned in the planning the restaurant is not widely used during the day which made it perfect for our purposes. However something still seems to have gone wrong.' "Hmmm," Kiel murmured out loud. 'Does Manavis have a record with us.' 'I will have to check with HQ for that,' Anderson replied as he linked his data pad to the Psi-Corp base on Mars and waited for the information to be retrieved. Kiel nodded and moved away, continuing his work on the garden, plucking weeds and watering any plant that looked like it needed moisture while he waited . He knew it would take a while, as the vast Psi-Corp archives held information on almost every person on the planet, including reports about their loyalties, criminal activities, and anything else the Corp thought it important enough to record. No-one outside Psi-Corp, and in fact very few inside, knew exactly how much data Psi-Corp had collected over the years, and many would be very alarmed to learn of the true extent of the archives. Finally the report came back, taking some time despite the almost instantaneous communication network available in the 23rd century. After reading it carefully Anderson passed on the important facts to his superior, carefully to only cover anything important to what they were discussing, and leave out the rest. 'He has a large file, very large indeed. It is a little contradictory though. It reports that has no known links to any anti-telepath organisations, but possible links to the Mars Mafia as well as the Mars resistance, both of which oppose Psi-Corp. Those are the only black marks on his record though, the rest of the records shows him to be an honest operator. He has also been most generous to commercial telepaths he had hired, and our records show he has hired a commercial telepath on nearly two hundred separate occasions over the past five years, which is a little higher than most casino's but not unexpected. I don't see anything in here that would indicate he would have anything to lie about in this matter.' 'It is good to know for sure though,' Kiel responded. 'Very well leave this matter for the moment until we get the report from the search. I will have to put someone else on that case though as you will be leaving shortly.' Anderson nodded. 'Yes sir, the Rasputin should be leaving Mars later today bound for Proxima III. The last report I had said they were still waiting on the last of the crew who should arrive this morning, assuming the shuttle from Earth is not delayed again.' 'Good they should still be in the Proxima system in time for the test then. The Rasputin is going to have some of the Earth Alliance's best pilots on board and if the software can beat some of them in one on one combat then I think it will have proven itself. Make sure you keep in touch with the pilot of the carrier so if there is any delay in the Rasputin's flight plan you can ask him to delay the test. I would like to make sure the Rasputin's pilots are there, after all if this is going to work we want to test it against the best Earthforce has to offer.' 'Yes,' Anderson agreed. 'And hopefully it may even kill a few, which would make our job a lot easier later when we return to Proxima with the weapon.' Kiel nodded in agreement before putting down his watering can and turning back towards the door into his apartment. Anderson followed him and they both moved from the outside garden into the apartment's lounge. Taking a seat near the door Kiel turned back to his assistant, sending his thoughts once more. 'Are you ready for your assignment?' 'Completely,' was his assistant's confident response. 'Everything is in readiness and I have a shuttle loaded with the necessary equipment standing by at the base. As soon as the Rasputin is ready to leave I will be ready to join it.' 'And your assistant?' Kiel's thoughts carried a taint of humour this time. 'Is she ready for her task.' Anderson smiled. 'I think we can rely on her to do her job. After all she is one hundred percent loyal to Psi-Corp now, and won't betray us no matter what we tell her to do.' 'I wouldn't tell her too much about our plans though,' Kiel warned. 'She is only a P5, and that fool Bester has been snooping around trying to work out what we are up to. I don't want him scanning her and learning about the project before I am ready to move against him.' 'You do not need to worry about that sir, I won't be telling her anything more than what she needs to know. As for Bester I don't think he would show his face on board the Rasputin. His relationship with Captain Ivanova is not good, I don't think she has ever forgiven him or Psi-Corp over the control program. I guess that what makes this plan so perfect.' 'As long as she doesn't decide to throw you into an airlock as soon as you get on board.' Kiel warned his assistant, although his mind still sent a strong sense of ironic humour with his other thoughts. 'I will be careful,' Anderson assured him. 'Anyway I will only be on board for a little over a day. The test is set for the afternoon of the 4th which is tomorrow afternoon and if the Rasputin leaves on time today then I should only be there for two nights, tonight and tomorrow night. I will watch the test and then once it is complete will say that I have an emergency back on Mars and leave with the shuttle, taking the equipment and it's readings back with me. Of course instead of going to Mars I will travel to A3 and pass on the results of the test to the builders. I assume I will meet you there?' Kiel shrugged. 'That depends on what our allies decide. They may need me to remain here for a few more days, but I will be there by the time the second test is ready. I wouldn't want to miss that one.' 'Neither would I,' Anderson agreed. 'It should be quiet spectacular indeed. Has the target been picked yet?' Kiel shook his head. 'No not yet. We will be waiting on the results of the first test before deciding on the first target for the weapon. It will likely be one of the outposts, possibly the hidden listening post on the Narn border. If we take that out then Earth will probably send at least some of it's fleet to investigate fearing that Narn may be moving against them. That will allow us to move closer in and bypass the main fleet.' 'That is what I was thinking as well Sir. And how about the builders, are they suppling anything for our cause?' Kiel shrugged. 'I do not know. They have only sent troops and technicians so far. I will speak to our allies soon and ask them about the plan then.' 'You will let me know of any changes of course?" Anderson queried. 'Of course.' 'Then I will leave you to it,' Anderson said, standing and moving towards the door. 'I still have to brief my new assistant fully on what her role will be. Then I have to pack for my trip, although fortunately most of the equipment is already on board my shuttle.' Kiel stood and shook hands with his assistant. 'Good luck then Darren. I will expect to see you in a few days at A3. And try to make sure nothing else goes wrong, we have already lost two agents in the past two days and if this goes on we won't have enough personal left to carry the plan. So try to keep yourself alive.' Disengaging his hand from Kiel's Anderson walked towards the apartment door. 'I think you can be sure of one thing, and that is that I will be doing by very best to ensure that nothing happens to me Sir.' 'Good luck then Darren,' Kiel thought with a slight smile. 'I will see you again at the end of the week.' With that he dismissed his assistant and let Anderson find his own way out of the apartment. Outside the other occupants of the apartment buildings were just waking from their slumber. Most of the other tenants were likely shareholders in one of the major corporations or another. Anderson could remember which one exactly owned this building, and just at the moment he wasn't really concerned. Instead he was more interested in avoiding detection. Kiel hadn't left the apartment since he had arrived here from Earth and the sight of a uniformed member of Psi-Corp entering would be sure to arouse some suspicion. As he walked back towards the courtyard he let the walls in his mind drop and the thoughts of those around him into his mind. Fortunately he didn't detect any thoughts about him, so knowing that he had passed unnoticed by the few tenants who were actually out of bed, he strode out into the brightly lit courtyard secure in the knowledge that Kiel's location was safe for now. Seeing Anderson coming towards her, his new assistant stood and brushed off her green suit before standing quietly with her hands clasped behind her back awaking his arrival. 'Come,' his mental voice echoed in her head. 'I have important work for you to do.' 'Do I get to know what this work is now?' Anderson smiled, not a pleasant smile, but one tinged with a hunger that he was having trouble hiding. 'Lets just say you will enjoy it. I want you to distract someone, so I can catch her off guard.' 'Sounds like I will enjoy this." The woman's thoughts were tinged with an evil humour. ------------------------------------------------------------ After making certain that Anderson has left Kiel crossed to a strange console mounted on the wall of his office. The device looked more organic than mechanical and it radiated an alieness that was unmistakable. There also seemed a hidden power to the device, a strange throbbing that was almost undetectable. Kiel kept it hidden here at the back of his office to avoid anyone else coming across it, but also so that it was close by should they call. Running his hands across the device's surface Kiel found the tiny protrusion that looked almost like a button. Touching it raised a faint hum from the alien device as it reached out across the galaxy to connect Kiel with his alien allies. The telepath stepped back as soon as he had activated it to allow room for the holographic projector built into the device to display it's image. He did not have long to wait and soon the hologramatic shape of his ally stood before him, the communications device on the wall projecting his image, just as back in the alien's ship a similar device was projecting Kiel's form. It was a large creature, about Kiel's height but it appeared much wider. It was also covered in a long dark cloak, hiding almost all of its features from the telepath. All he could see were two gloved hands that seemed to shimmer through the air as they moved. Kiel bowed low in the direction of the hologram. "All is prepared," he said, careful not to portray any emotion that would give away his thoughts. In truth he hated working with aliens to achieve his aims and planned to dispose of them as soon as he could. For now though they were a useful allies, and without them everything he had planned would never come to fruition A whisper responded, one that seemed to come from all around him at once. "Good," was all it said. "Shall I proceed with the first test?" The alien hesitated and turned away for a second as if consulting someone else on it's ship. "There are no more problems? We have learning of the interest of Ivanova." "She is of no concern, she knows nothing of our plans." Inwardly Kiel cursed, wondering how his allies had heard of the incident on Mars High so soon. 'They must have spies everywhere,' he though to himself, making a mental note to be more careful in the future about who he spoke to, and to warn everyone who worked for him to do the same. The whispering voice of the alien increased in volume slightly. "We know of her. Do not underestimate her, she is dangerous. If she interferes again then you will kill her." "Of course," Kiel responded with another bow. The alien seemed to nod, although it was difficult to exactly determine its body movements beneath the thick robe it was wearing. Then it's head, or at least what Kiel assumed was it's head, leaned towards him and the dark whisper came again. "Proceed with the test. We will be watching, so make sure it is successful." "Do not worry, I have sent my best operative to take care of it personally." Again the figure seemed to nod. "Good," it said in a soft tone. Then before Kiel could continue the conversation the light on the alien device winked out and the telepath found himself alone once more. He found himself a little annoyed at the way he had been dismissed, almost as if he did not matter to the aliens. "Well," he said out loud. 'Once I control the alliance they will have to start treating me a little more respect, and both them and the other alien races will learn to fear my name." ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 7/16, Part E Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 00:58:18 +0930 For disclaimers see Part A. This is the final part of Chapter 7. I am working on Chapter 8 and the first part (1/3) will be posted shortly. For an archive of older stories visit my webpage at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ ------------------------------------------------------------ The lift drifted to a stop on deck 6, the Rasputin's main deck. As the door slid open Susan moved to one side expecting a large number of crew to board. To her surprise there was only one, the Rasputin's chief medical officer, Amada Taylor. The blonde doctor smiled and nodded to Susan as they waited for the lift to resume it's journey. "How are you today Captain," Dr. Taylor asked as the lift continued it's journey down towards the shuttle bay. "Couldn't be better Doctor," Susan replied, and for once she wasn't lying. "I think this ship must agree with me, I haven't felt so good in years." "Well I am pleased to hear that Captain," Amanda said. "From all reports you have had a busy couple of days." "Very busy indeed Doctor," Susan said as the doors to left opened and they both walked out into the crowded shuttle bay. Both woman left the lift at once, and as they did Susan's hand brushed against Dr. Taylor's bare arm. Susan experienced a brief flash in her mind and then a feeling of displeasure washed over her. She moved away from Amanda but not before she realised that somehow she knew that the doctor didn't like her one bit, despite all her pleasantries and concerns. Susan didn't know how she knew that, but somehow she did. Before she could think on the matter any further though she was snared by Commander Petrov and guided through the gathered crew members towards the other end of the shuttle bay. "Good afternoon Captain," the Commander said as he walked. "Admiral Bettaman's shuttle should be arriving from the station in a few minutes. I have assembled the crew as you have asked and everything is ready." "Thank you Commander," Susan replied, quickly forgetting about the brief incident with Amanda Taylor and concentrating on the job she had to do. "Are all the crew assembled?" "All that could be spared Captain," Petrov said. "Of course some of the bridge crew and most of the current engineering shift had to remain at their stations, but we can broadcast throughout the ship if you like." "Yes that's a good idea. Set it up will you and meet me near shuttle 4." Susan pointed in the direction of the large, bulky shape of one of the Rasputin's shuttles. "Yes Sir," the Commander said with a sharp salute before walking off towards the shuttle bay's control section to organise everything. Susan continued on toward the large shuttle, accepting the greetings of her crew as she walked. Almost the entire ship's crew had been assembled in the shuttle bay to hear what the Admiral had to say. Susan had been rather surprised when the Admiral had requested a visit, especially this close to the Rasputin's departure time. She wasn't really happy about it, but as with most official visits there was little she could do to prevent it. Around her the Rasputin's crew looked excited more than anything. Susan had spent most of the morning locked in discussion with the various command officers over the state of the Rasputin's preparation and readiness for service and despite some misgivings over the still unproven technology it had been concluded that they were ready as they were ever going to be. In fact all they were waiting on now was the conclusion of this last minute official visit, or inspection as Susan was beginning to think of the Admiral's visit. The last of the crew had arrived early this morning and had been settled in nicely, with nearly a hundred berths still left over. The Warlock class vessels had originally been designed as a fleet command vessel and extra space was built for command staff, stewards and the like. While the Rasputin might one day take up that role it was being used instead as just another destroyer to make up for the large numbers of vessels lost or badly damaged during the civil war. Commander Petrov finally returned from his short side trip and made his way through the crowd to Susan's side. Both Susan and the rest of her command staff were outfitted in their full dress uniforms, after all it was not every day an admiral came to visit, and in Earthforce there were few officers ranked higher than a full admiral. Fortunately for Susan, who was not very comfortable in the tight fitting uniform, the Admiral's shuttle only took ten minutes to make the short trip from Mars High to the Rasputin. Stepping forward she was the first to greet the tall, grey-haired admiral as he walked slowly down the stairs from his shuttle. "Captain Ivanova," Salik Bettaman said as he shook her hand vigorously. "It is good to meet you, and to see this fine vessel at last." "Welcome aboard Admiral," Susan said. "We are likewise pleased to have you aboard, although I must admit your arrival was somewhat of a surprise." "I apologise for that Captain, last minute changes in schedules and that sort of thing." "I understand Admiral," Susan said with a slight smile. "I had to deal with the same thing while I was waiting for my ship to be finished." "Yes it did take a little longer than expect," the Admiral admitted. "Now shall we get the formalities over with so I can get on with this tour. I am looking forward to having good look over a Warlock destroyer at last, especially considering how much money we have been pumping into the project over the past couple of years." "This way Admiral," Susan said as she guided the Admiral towards the podium that had been set up next to one of the Rasputin's shuttles. After he was firmly ensconced on the podium Admiral Bettaman looked out over the sea of faces before clearing his throat and beginning a short speech. Susan stood behind him and tried to look interested as the Admiral short speech spread over nearly and hour and covered everything from how he remembered what it was like in Earthforce during his youth to how he wanted everyone to put the past behind them and work together for a new future. Fortunately he eventually finished and the crew filed out of the shuttle bay, filling the lifts on their way back to their stations, quarters and recreation rooms. The bay now nearly empty the Admiral guided Susan and Petrov away from the crowd so he could pass on the orders that was the real reason for his visit. "Captain," he said. "As you know you were to take command of this vessel for a test period so the technicians can complete final modifications for the new production models. However your orders have now changed. Because of recent raids against some of the outer Earth colonies we have decided to step up the schedule a little. Earth central has decided to put the Rasputin on full active duty, meaning that you are expected to maintain combat readiness at all times, just like the rest of the fleet." "But Admiral," Susan objected. "This vessel isn't ready. I mean we only got the artificial gravity working properly in the last few days, and personally I still think there is some problems with it. There could be a thousand bugs in the other systems and if something goes wrong during a battle we could be left sitting ducks." The Admiral held up his hand to stop any further arguments. "I understand your concerns Captain, but your vessel should be safe enough around Proxima III for now. I understand General McCarron told you your orders were to escort the troops transports to the Proxima system and then continue the testing there in the company of three other destroyers." When Susan and Petrov nodded he continued. "Those orders are pretty much the same except the three other destroyers, lead by Captain James on the Opollo will only be at Proxima for a week. Raiders have hit a couple of the undefended outer worlds so we are sending those destroyers on patrol along the border colonies which should help quieten things down there a while." "Which means the Rasputin will be left to guard the Proxima system on it's own," Susan interrupted. "Not entirely on it's own," Bettaman disagreed. "You will have the twelve starfuries currently on the planet, as well as your own fighters and we will be sending another twenty fighters to boost Proxima's defence. They should arrive in a couple of weeks. Also one of the Interstellar Alliance's patrols will pass through the Proxima system on a regular basis, which should discourage any raiders." Susan nodded, still unhappy about the whole situation, but realising that it was unlikely that Earthforce was going to change it's mind. "I shall endeavour to do the best I can with what I have then Admiral," Susan said. The Admiral smiled pleasantly. "Good Captain, I knew we could count on you. Now that is taken care of how about a tour of this fine vessel." Susan turned to Petrov, "Commander Petrov here will be happy to assist you with that Admiral, I have a lot to do before this vessel is ready to ship out this afternoon." "Of course Captain," the Admiral said, nodding sagely. "What would you like to see first Admiral," Petrov asked, while at the same time shooting a glare off in Susan direction to show her he wasn't happy with being left to play tour guide. She smiled sweetly back, the picture of innocence and waved as the Admiral and her executive officer headed off towards the aft shuttle bay. 'It is good to be the Captain,' Susan thought as she walked toward the lift back to the upper decks. She was a little concerned at the Rasputin being drafted in to protecting an entire system. Four ships would not have worried her, as most raiders would not care to take on four EAS destroyers, but a single experimental ship may not be enough to stop the more ambitious raiders from looking towards the large, and rich Proxima colony. Still what ever happened it was bound to be an interesting year to come, even if it was for all the wrong reasons. ------------------------------------------------------------ It was a tired looking Petrov who finally made it onto the bridge late that afternoon. Admiral Bettaman had insisted on seeing every part of the ship. Finally he had been forced to rope in Dr. Kozlowski to explain the more experimental parts of the ship and that had just led to everyone being confused, well except for the good Doctor who seemed to know exactly what he was talking about, despite the fact that no-one else did. Anyway it had encouraged the Admiral to shorten his trip and after seeing him and his shuttle on their way he had trudged back up to the command deck, Kozlowski still in tow. "I trust you enjoyed yourself Commander," Susan asked as soon as she noticed Petrov's arrival. "Did the Admiral see everything he wanted to?" "I think he saw every single part of the whole ship Captain," Petrov replied, leaning back against the railing near her seat with a sigh. "Fortunately I managed to get rid of him with my secret weapon." When Susan looked quizzically at him Petrov pointed in the direction of Dr. Kozlowski who was now busy chatting with the Chief Engineer Phillip Moore, who was also on the bridge, having arrived just a few moment before Petrov. Smiling in understand Susan say, "Ah I see. Well as long as he enjoyed himself." "I think he did Captain," Petrov replied. "At least he said that we had a fine ship and if he was a few years younger he would snatch it for himself." Susan smiled, "well I m glad he isn't a few years younger then. I have been looking forward to this command. Which reminds me. We just got word from General McCarron on Mars High. He says that as soon as we are ready we can set out from Proxima." "At last," Petrov said under his breath. "Good Captain, shall I inform the crew to prepare for departure?" "Already done Commander. We are just waiting for word from Captain James on the Opollo and we can be on our way." "Captain," the communication's officer called out. "I have Captain James on the link. He is asking to speak with you." "Speak of the devil," Susan said softly. "Alright Lieutenant put him through to the main viewscreen." "Yes Captain." Above the hologramatic view of the space around the Rasputin shimmered in one place and was replaced by the view of the Opollo's Captain. "Captain Ivanova," he said as soon as the link was established. "All the other vessels are now ready to depart. Can you open a jump point for the two transports?" "I think we can just about manage that Captain," Susan replied with a glance at Kozlowski and Moore, who seemed oblivious to her scrutiny. "Good," James said. "Whenever you are ready then Captain. We will form up in Hyperspace, so the transports have good protection. I don't expect any trouble, but you never know." "No you don't Captain," Susan agreed. "Ivanova out." The older captain's image faded and the computer replaced it with the image it had displayed before. Looking around Susan could see the two huge Condor II transports that he had spoken off. Unlike the graceful Condor I's these vessels were large and ungainly, really nothing more than huge shuttles, designed to quickly transport thousands of soldiers between worlds with ease, if not much in the way of comfort. When she had first joined Earthforce there had been nothing like the Condor's and all her trips between worlds had either been made in shuttles or warships, both of which did not have artificial gravity of any kind to begin with. The Condor II at least had it's huge, cylindrical, rotating section, but the thought of being crammed into that vessel with five thousand other solders was not one Susan would ever look forward to. Susan glanced at the Rasputin's current helmsman who was also looking at the view, distracted as he watch the large shapes of three Omega destroyers peel off from their orbit above Mars and begin to accelerate as they prepared to enter Hyperspace. "Ensign Marino," she said, just loud enough to catch the young crewman's attention. "Yes Captain," he said, quickly snapping back to readiness, not wanting to let his captain think he was not on the job. "Take us away from Mars and prepare to open a jump point." "Aye Aye Captain," Marino replied, his hands flying across his keyboard as he prepared to get the huge warship under way. It had been sitting idle for over two days, drifting in a high orbit above the red planet, but that did not stop it's engines leaping into life as soon as they were called on. A faint vibration ran through the railing around the raised command section where Susan and Petrov watched as the engines powered up and then ever so slowly the surface of Mars began to retreat below as the warship turned toward the Omega destroyers, who were already powering away from the planet. "Opening a jump point now Captain," came the call from the helmsman as his finger stabbed the controls for the Rasputin's jump engines. In the distance there was flare of light and then a spiralling tunnel of light as a jump point formed directly in front of them. "Hold our position here Ensign," Susan ordered. "Wait until the two transports have entered and then follow them through." "Yes Captain," he replied and they both watched as the cylindrical shapes of the troops transports flew past and through the jump point into hyperspace. "Oh good it works," came a voice from somewhere nearby. Susan turned and looked incredulously at Dr. Kozlowski. "What do you mean it works? Didn't you test the jump engines before we left." As she spoke the Rasputin leapt through the jump point after the transports and entered the chaos of Hyperspace. "Err no Captain," was Kozlowski sheepish reply. "I mean we did, but not when the engine was mounted on the warship, only on the test platform." "And they want us to be ready for combat by the time we reach Proxima," Susan said to Petrov, her executive officer shaking his head in sympathy. "There really isn't anything to worry about Captain," Kozlowski continued. "I mean jump point technology has been around forever so there is isn't really much we can go wrong with. It is just a matter of getting the right sized engines for the right sized ship." "Well it seems to work fine Doctor," Susan said. "So I can not fault your work." She turned toward the navigation station. "Ensign, as soon as the fleet has formed up link us to the Proxima III beacon." "Yes Captain," the navigation officer said. "I have already received our course from the Opollo." "Good," Susan replied. She turned back to Petrov who was waiting patiently behind her. "Well Commander I might let you take over for a while." Before She could vacate her seat though another voice, this time the Rasputin communications officer, cut in. "Captain I have a message from a shuttle that is dead astern. They are asking permission to come aboard." "Are they now," Susan said as she turned around to look in the direction the lieutenant had indicated. Sure enough there it was, a small black atmospheric shuttle closing quickly on the warship. Even from this distance she could see the silver Psi-Corp emblem emblazoned across the top of the shuttle. "That must be Mr Anderson and his assistant," Petrov informed her. "I was wondering what had happened to him." "I was hoping that he had forgotten all about his assignment," Susan replied calmly, although inside she felt a feeling of dread. When the Psi-Corp representative had not shown up either yesterday or today she had hoped that he wasn't coming and after what happened at the Casino on Mars she wasn't really looking forward to serving with a telepath. "Shall I order the shuttle bay to get ready to accept him Captain?" Petrov asked. Then when she didn't reply he asked again, "Captain?" "Very well Commander. Then as soon as he is on board show him to the bridge. There ware a few ground rules I would like to explain to him before he becomes part of this crew." Petrov nodded and after a quick saluted headed out the bridge doors towards the shuttle bay once more. Susan sat and watched until the small shuttle slid below the warship's vast bulk and out of her view. For a moment she thought about switching the viewscreen's cameras so she could watch the shuttle landing, but decided against it at the last moment. She had a strange feeling about Anderson shuttle, something that she had felt ever since the shuttle's presence had first been pointed out to her. It was nothing more than a slight tingle in her spine, but she knew something was up, although if good or bad she could not tell. "Captain," a voice asked from next to her. "What is it Mr. Moore?" Susan replied, not even looking up. "Dr. Kozlowski and I would like to run some tests on the engines while we are in Hyperspace. We had trouble with the reactors last time and I don't want anything to happen this trip." Susan nodded, "very well, but try not to cause too much of a disruption." "It shouldn't be noticeable Captain," Phillip assured her. "Good," Susan said, as the two men hurried from the bridge. Shortly after they left Commander Petrov returned and led the two telepaths onto the bridge. "Good Afternoon Captain Ivanova," Anderson began as Susan turned around to face them. Her eyes brushed across the telepath and fell onto his assistant. She froze as she recognised the familiar features, the blonde hair and the beautiful face. "Talia," she whispered. "I see you know my assistant Talia Winters already Captain, "Anderson said, the faintest twinges of a smile beginning to show on his face. 'I think she still likes you,' he sent telepathically to his assistant, his thoughts laced heavily with humour. Susan looked at Talia, and despite her hopes saw nothing of the woman she had loved back on Babylon 5. The woman who stood before her was still that same monster that had killed her Talia, the same monster who had betrayed her and everyone else on the station. "I did," Susan replied, her voice hard, although she could not disguise the pain she was feeling inside. "Hello again Captain," Talia said, and for a moment Susan felt warmth flood into her heart at the sound of the her former lover's voice. But then she realised that there was no answering warmth. Everything about the woman was cold, from her sharp, green suit to her cold eyes that seemed to laugh at her from behind the mask of her face. Not answering Talia's greeting Susan turned to Petrov. "Commander can you show Mr Anderson and his assistant to there quarters." Petrov looked a little confused for a moment, wondering why she would ask him to bring the two telepaths here, only to send them away again. "Um yes of course Captain," he finally managed to stumble out. "Would you please follow me, we have set aside two rooms on the command deck for you." "Good," Anderson replied. "I am sure they will be most suitable." Then he turned and looked back at Susan. "Captain," he said inclining his head in her direction, before turning and following Petrov off the bridge. Without another word to Susan, just a short dismissive glance, Talia turned and left as well. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - chapter 8, Part A Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 01:22:30 +0930 Here is the first part of Chapter 8. There 2nd part will be along later tonight and the 3rd and final part either tomorrow or friday. For an archive of earlier chapeters then go to my webpage at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ Spoilers: There are spoilers for all 5 season of Babylon 5 in this story, so consider yourself well and truely warned. Disclaimers: The various B5 characters that I use in my story remain the property of Waner Brothers, TNT, JMS, and whoever else wants to claim them. The rest however are the proporty of my imagination and you can do what you will with them. ------------------------------------------------------------ Reunion - Part 8 ------------------------------------------------------------ 5:48, February 4, 2262 Early morning found the Rasputin and the other vessels in the fleet still ploughing their way slowly through Hyperspace towards the Proxima system. Normally they would have been able to make the short journey to Earth first off-world colony a lot faster than they were, but the presence of the two troops transports was slowing progress. Not wanting to leave the vulnerable vessels unprotected the small fleet was forced to reduce it's speed to that of it's slowest member. On the Rasputin itself all was quiet, as most of the crew slumbered through the early morning. The bridge and engineering decks were busy of course as they had to be during a flight, but the rest of the vessel's hundreds of corridors and rooms were empty of all but the occasional crewman. In the pilot's recreation room though one troubled soul was having trouble thinking out sleeping.. Located in the bow, the room looked out over the space in front of the ship. Like all the Rasputin's rooms it had no portholes, instead there were cameras mounted in the external hull and holographic displays on the walls that gave the appearance of large open windows without the reduction in the ship's hull strength such portals would require. Normally the room would be crowded with fighter pilots and ground crew, all busy playing the various hologramatic games scattered throughout the room or watching the vid networks, maybe even catching up on messages from home. Instead though it was empty, the Rasputin's commander having decided to have only the minimum crew on duty during the journey through Hyperspace. There would be plenty of time once they arrived at Proxima for the crews to adjust to the Rasputin's duty roster. Until then there was nothing wrong with them being allowed one more night of good sleep. Instead the only person who could be found in the rec room was the Captain herself. She sat in one of the padded chairs that faced the front of the ship, just watching the slow passage of the multi-coloured clouds of gases that made up Hyperspace. In her hand she held a half-empty glass of vodka, but did not raise it to her lips, instead just choosing to sit and think, the beautiful chaos of Hyperspace luring her mind into reminiscence. She still couldn't believe that Talia had walked into her life again. Susan had given her up for dead, think never to see her again, especially after what Bester had said. Instead here she was, just as beautiful and alive as before. At least that is how she appeared on the outside. Inside Susan knew that the Talia she knew, the woman she had loved, was just as dead as ever. There was nothing of the old Talia in the eyes of the woman who had walked into the bridge yesterday, no warmth, no feeling, just cold, unfeeling hatred. Still seeing her again had bought back all the old feelings, the memories and thoughts she had hidden deep inside her so they could never again make her cry the way she had after Talia had walked out of her life. Now those memories came flooding back, bringing an oh so familiar ache to her heart. She knew without doubt that she still loved Talia, and there was nothing that could ever compare to the few precious moments they had shared together that one night nearly two and half years ago. Susan had always been a guarded person, never exposing herself to anyone. Always in the back of her mind there was a fear of commitment, a fear of being hurt. The few times she had ever truly loved she had been left alone, lost and adrift. It had started with her mother, who when killed herself left Susan so alone. Ever since then those she loved and cared about had all left her. Talia had been the worst though. With no-one since her mother had she shared so much, told so many secrets and given herself so fully. Then Talia had been snatched from her, taken away by Psi-Corp and their hideous Control program. The old Talia was gone and what was left was a construct, a creature that was nothing more that the pure embodiment of all that was Psi-Corp. But it still had the same face, the same voice as her Talia and ever time she looked at her Susan knew that she would feel the same feelings, the same longing that she had felt for Talia. And every time she could not help but hope that somewhere, deep inside there was some small part of her Talia left, a tiny part that could grow and blossom once more into the woman she had loved. A single tear rolled down Susan's cheek and angrily she brushed it away. 'No,' she thought. 'I will not cry for her again.' But inside she knew she could not help it. Just as she had mourned her mother for years after she would continue to morn Talia, and it was made even worse by the fact that Talia was still here, or at least her body was. Susan could not bury the memory of her when she was still alive. Sure she looked a little different, thinner than ever before, and her hair slightly longer, but Susan would never be able to forget how Talia looked, not even if she lived forever. That night they spent together, just a short, single night of passion, they had shared everything. Their minds had been as one, and to Susan, unexperienced in the way of telepaths it had been the single most magical experience in all her life. To look into someone's mind and see their love for you reflected in every part of their body was something Susan could never forget. All her experiences and loves before then paled into insignificance compared to what she and Talia shared that night. They have given each other more than just their bodies, they had given their minds, so totally that Susan felt that Talia had been a part of her ever since. Only the love her mother had felt for her came close to what Susan had felt from Talia, and just as what had happened with her mother had changed her for life, her experiences with Talia had also left her changed. Susan now knew that no matter what happened she could never love anyone the way she had loved Talia. Nothing could compare to what she had felt, experienced, and done with Talia. Sure there had been others who had been interested in her since that day, Marcus the most persistent, but none could attract her attention. With another she knew it would not be the same, there was no way they could share each others feelings and thoughts as she had with Talia when their minds had joined for those few brief hours. Unable to help herself Susan's tears now flowed freely down her face as she remembered all the old pain and hurt that had kept her awake so many nights on Babylon 5. Here she had hoped to escape those memories once and for all, but now the worst thing that had ever happened to her had come back and was happening to her again. Every time she spoke to Talia she was going to have to face what had happened, every time she heard her voice she was going to have to remember that it wasn't Talia that spoke to her. "Captain," a voice called out suddenly from the shadows. Susan jumped at the sound of the voice, for she hadn't seen anyone entering the room. She quickly began to dab at her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform, trying to cover up her tears. She knew she must look a real mess, and hadn't really wanted to look this way, to be seen this vulnerable. "Captain," the voice called again, and this time she recognised as her flight commander Alister Schmitt. "Are you alright?" She tried to put on a smile, but failed miserably. "I am fine Lieutenant-Commander," she said, trying to keep formal and aloof. She wasn't fooling anyone though, least of all the observant pilot. He took a seat neat to her and after scrutinising her face looked pointedly at the glass in her hands. "You should not be drinking so early in the morning Captain," he said softly. Susan looked down at the forgotten glass in her hand. She had poured it when she had first arrived, but still hadn't taken a sip, so lost in her feelings and memories was she. "Actually I haven't drunk anything yet," Susan replied. "I have just been sitting here and thinking." Alister nodded. "This place is good for that, thinking I mean. If we had a place like this on the other ships I served on I would have spent a lot of time there. I think there is something about Hyperspace that calms your soul, and makes you remember things long past." Susan turned back to the look at the holographic windows again. She took a small sip of her drink, enjoying the way the vodka warmed her inside, restoring some of her calm. "Perhaps you are right Mr. Schmitt. But something there are some things best left forgotten." "That there are Captain," Alister agreed. "There are many things in my past that I would like to forget. lost loves, and lost friends. I like by the code of the fighter pilot though, and what does not kill me can not harm me. I have learned not to fear my memories, only to learn from them." "I wish I could feel that way," Susan almost whispered, her voice still sad and lonely. "But you can Captain," Alister said. "I read an ancient book once, one written by an old fighter pilot called Captain Johns from the very beginning of the 20th century. He wrote a small introduction to his books that I can still remember today. Would you like me to tell you it?" "If you like," Susan said. Inside though she only wanted to be left alone with her grief. "Ok," Alister said. "Now how does it go again. Ah yes that's right, I remember now. When you are flying, everything is all right or it is not all right. If it is all right then there is no need to worry. If it is not all right then one of two things will happen. Either you will crash or you will not crash. If you do not crash then you don't need to worry. If you do crash then one of two things will happen. Either you will be injured or you will not be injured. If you are not injured then there is no need to worry. If you are injured then one of two things will happen. Either you will recover or you will not recover. If you recover then there is no need to worry. If you don't recover then you can't worry." Susan smiled faintly as Alister finished. "That is quite a good philosophy Mr Schmitt, but sometimes things are not quite so simple." Alister looked at Susan, "Are you so sure Captain. I mean when you get down to it, then it is that simple. To a fighter pilot like me there are only two outcomes whenever I go on a mission. Either I die or I live. If I live then I keep on going until the next mission, but if I die then that is it, I can no longer worry about anything." "I would love to believe it," Susan said sadly. "But in my experience it has never been that simple for me. Even thought I have survived there are things that have happened in the past that I still remember." Alister nodded," from the war?" "That and from before," Susan said. "There are some things no-one should ever have to go though." "I agree Captain," Alister said gently. "Which is why I have taken every opportunity to avoid attachments. For someone in my job it is difficult to love." "But you have a daughter," Susan said. "Surely you must have loved her mother." "Once," Alister said. "But I have found marriage and relationships are very difficult when you never know where you are going to be stationed next. Do you know that in the twenty one years my daughter has been alive I have only seen her about a dozen days a year. Sure we sent messages to each other, but I have never really known my daughter." "Is that why you made sure she was transported here," Susan asked. "Partially," Alister said. "But I didn't really want her to be a pilot like her father. She has too much of me in her though and despite my wishes she signed up. I guess that I wanted to help her, so when I was asked to organise the flight crew for the Rasputin I made sure that she was posted her so I can keep an eye on her." "And so you could see her?" Susan asked. "Yes, it has been difficult watching her growing up without me, and never really knowing her. Hopefully I will now get a chance, as long as something bad doesn't happen. The life of a fighter pilot is a dangerous one, and looking back at how many died in the wars I am grateful that my daughter wasn't one of them. I still don't know how I am going to handle her going out on missions." "Sounds like your problems are nearly as bad as mine," Susan said as she fumbled around beside her chair for the bottle of vodka she had put there are filling her glass. Finding it she pulled it out and offered it to the flight commander, "Drink?" Alister smiled as he shook his head. "No thanks Captain, I never drink. I found that it clouds my judgement." Susan nodded, "you are probably right." Then she poured the vodka in her glass back into the bottle careful not to spill a drop. "I thought that I could come here and forget about my troubles, but I guess some things you can't run from." "No you can't captain," Alister agreed. "Some things you have to face down and defeat so you can get on with your life." "That is the difficult part though isn't it," Susan said as she stoppered the bottle and put it aside. "It is," Alister agreed. "Although sometime I have found that sharing your problems can help ease them." Susan laughed harshly. "I don't think you would want to know my problems Lieutenant-Commander." "Probably not Captain," he answered with a shrug. "But remember that if you ever need anything I am here. I might be nothing more than an old campaigner who doesn't have the strength to stand up against what is wrong like you and Sheridan did, but I have seen a lot in my life." "I will remember that," Susan said, her voice softer now. "But what I have to face I need to do so alone." "As you wish Captain, but just remember you are not alone. While you are on this ship there are people there for you. I might not have known you long, but you are someone I think I can respect. You have stood up for what you believe in and the part of me that was too scared to do the same respects you for that." "Thank you," she replied softly. "I won't forget that." "I had best get going then," he said, standing and looking out the window. "I can't tell for sure, but it looks like we may be getting close to Proxima, so we will probably have to get back to work soon. I have a large group of gung-ho pilots or organise into three flight wings and assign fighters to, and knowing them some of them will argue over which fighter they are assigned to." Then, with a gentle, comforting, squeeze of Susan's shoulder he left the rec room, heading back towards the main flight deck. Susan sat there for several minutes longer thinking over what Alister had said. Although she agreed with his philosophy it had never been that simple for her, she could not forget all that had happened so easily. Thoughts of Talia again filled her mind, along with memories of the fear she had felt after the telepath had left. After the way they had loved each other Susan had lived for months in fear that Psi-Corp was going to come and take her away, having learnt of her telepathic abilities from their agent. Fortunately that hadn't happened and she had remained safe, but for a moment she wondered why they hadn't come for her. She had never used her weak telepathic abilities for anything, except the brief moments when she had slipped into her mother thoughts and the night she had spent with Talia. But that would have been enough for Psi-Corp to drag her away. Somehow though that hadn't happened, and with a Psi-Corp representative now on board Susan was beginning to wonder if he was not here to watch her, which may explain why Talia was also here. Perhaps Psi-Corp was suspicious of her and hoped to lure her out by sending her former lover to entice her. Susan dismissed that idea though, the Psi-Corps didn't work that way. If they were suspicious of her they would have just taken her. She had been expecting something to happen ever since she had returned to Earthforce, where Psi-Corp was still in control. But so far nothing, not even a visit from Bester, who had seemed to enjoy taunting her and the rest of the crew whenever he had visited Babylon 5. Susan couldn't help but wonder why. They had Talia, so they must know everything she knew, and surely they must know of her abilities. Anderson had certainly known of her relationship with Talia, otherwise he would not have made the comment he did on the bridge yesterday. A sudden thought came to her, one that was frightening as much as it was comforting. Perhaps there was a chance that they didn't know, that the part of Talia that had loved her was still locked away somewhere deep inside her mind. Susan wanted so much to believe that it was true, that somewhere inside Talia was still a part of her that was still Talia, and that part kept on to the memory of their love. Despite her hopes though she found could not believe it, she could not allow herself hope again after so many disappointments before. She could still remember the taunting voice of the monster that inhabited Talia's body as it told her how it had wanted to get close to her. Susan had hoped that there was some small part of Talia left then, but after speaking to her, she knew that Talia was dead. There had been no love, no warmth, and when she looked on Talia yesterday she saw the same cold creature that she had in Talia's quarters that day. Perhaps the new personality could not remember what had happened between them, which would explain why Psi-Corp didn't know of her, Susan could only hope that was true. Now she would have to deal with the two telepaths on board, and if they tried to scan her as the telepath on Mars had done she knew there would be little chance of preventing them from finding out what she had hidden so long. Her mother had always told her to tell no-one, but she had told Talia. She had done more that tell her too, she had shown her just as Talia had shown her. Angry with herself Susan dragged herself back to the present. In the distance she could see two of the Omega destroyers sliding through a jump point that had just opened in front of them, likely the Proxima jumpgate. Soon the Rasputin would follow and they would be on their way towards the colony and whatever awaited them there. Grabbing her bottle of vodka she stood up and walked towards the exit. Outside she was now the calm, strong Captain Ivanova who was afraid of nothing and laughed in the face of danger. But inside she was still in turmoil. Susan didn't know why Talia was here, but she knew that a long as she was she could not forget what had happened between them. Perhaps Psi-Corp was just tormenting her, trying to get back at her for what had happened in the civil war, or maybe it was just coincidence and they knew nothing about her and Talia. Whatever the reason she was going to have to make the best of the situation and forge on as she had always done so before. The Russian in her expected bad things to happen to her, but even her usual pessimism couldn't stop her hoping for a miracle, hoping that everything she had dreamed about all those times would come true just this once. As she left the rec room and hurried across the flight deck a nagging though came to her, dredged up from the depths of her mind. With shock she remembered what had happened on Babylon 5, a memory she had dismissed the visions then as nothing more than idle fantasy, but perhaps there was some truth to what she had seen after all. In both vision she had seen herself and Talia together, but before she could not believe them, thinking Talia dead. Now though perhaps there was some hope. She had experienced two visions that day. One as she climbed out of the Whitestar with Marcus, Delenn, and Zathras and the other just before they stabilised the station in time. In the first she had seen herself in a torn Earthforce uniform, holding a bleeding and dying Talia in her arms on a strange alien vessel. The second had been happier and she had seen them together on a wide alien beach with purple sands and the light from the world's three moons shining down on them. Then she did not know what either had meant, but now perhaps it meant that there was a chance she could save the old Talia, if she could only let herself hope. A sudden crash close by broke into her troubled thoughts and Susan spun around looking for any danger that might appear. All that popped up though was a grubby looking Nathan Kozlowski, his normally white coat spotted with black grease stains and streaks of dirt. "Dr. Kozlowski," she said in annoyance. "What are you doing here?" The doctor looked guilty for a brief moment, and quickly shoved something he held in his right hand behind his back so she couldn't see it. "Umm, just looking around for something Captain." Susan looked suspiciously at his hand held behind his back. "I see," she said. "You are not doing anything to the fighters are you?" The doctor seemed to sigh in relief and then he smiled, "no Captain, I am just picking up some tools I left here last week. I need them back in engineering." Susan nodded. Had she been less troubled she might have realised that door leading into the armoury was open, but she had other things on her mind. "Very well doctor," she said. "Try not to make too much of a mess." "I won't Captain," he said as she resumed her walk towards the bridge. Susan was just about at the end of the flight deck when a idea sprung into her mind. Turning back to the doctor, who was pulling a tool laden trolley along behind him she asked, "doctor, you don't know anything about mindwipes do you?" Dr. Kozlowski looked a little startled at being spoken too again but stumbled out a reply. "Err no, not really. My expertise is to do with engines and ship design I also know..." "Ok," Susan cut in. "Forget I mentioned it then." Turning away she walked out off the flight deck and into the corridor that led to the lift up to the bridge. She could have taken the transporter from the flight deck, but for some reason today she felt like the walk, it would give her time to clear her mind, it that was possible. "... and of course solar panels as well, but nothing about mindwipes or any other sort of telepathic abilities." Kozlowski finished, having not noticed that Susan was long gone. When she did not reply he fumbled around for his glasses which he had taken off moments before to clean. The blur he had thought was the Captain was in fact nothing more than a pile of small boxes. He scratched his head in confusion. "Now where did she get to," he said out loud before shrugging and pulling out his diary. Then with an old style gold pen that he picked up off the trolley he wrote a quick note down in the dairy before putting both it and the pen into one large pocket of his coat and continuing on his way, quite pleased with his morning's work. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 8, Part B Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 01:24:20 +0930 For disclaimers see Part A ------------------------------------------------------------ The vast red shape of Proxima III loomed close as the Rasputin gently came to a stop, it's engines leaving it in a high orbit about the colony. In the distance it was possible to see the vast construction site where the planet's new orbital station was slowly being constructed. A swarm of smaller vessels hung around the site like a cloud of bees, either busy carrying workers and equipment from the planet below or involved in the actual construction. Years ago the colony had another station, but that had been destroyed in the Earth-Minbari war along with a lot of Earth's other stations and even some of the outer colonies. The people of Proxima though were a hardy bunch, strengthened by years of living in such a hostile environment, and despite the Minbari attack on the major settlements they had survived the war relatively intact. Likewise during the more recent occupation by forces loyal to the now dead President Clark the people of Proxima had survived and fought off the superior fire power of the enemy. Outgunned and outnumbered the resistance had been forced to flee into the wilderness, surviving off the tiny pockets of water and plant life that were found scattered across the planet, clinging to survival in the harsh landscape. There they were safe from the Earth Alliance troops, who were unfamiliar with the life on the planet and found themselves hopelessly lost in the untamed areas of Proxima III. Eventually instead of tracking down the rebels Clark's troops had stuck to the two major domes and the mining settlements. Despite their caution though many died during attacks by the rebels and from the nasty indigenous lifeforms that cared little for the war, only their own hunger. Eventually the planet had been freed from Clark's blockade and with their support gone the troops on the ground were soon forced to surrender to the few scattered bands of rebels that had hidden out in the wild lands. Surprisingly though when given the choice of independence in a recent referendum the people of Proxima had chosen to remain within the Earth Alliance, albeit with a limited form of self-government instead of the Earth governor who had ruled before. It was this newly elected leader of the planet, the former rebel commander Jarn Mitrovic, that Susan found herself talking to. She had not expected his call, having thought she would be asked to meet with whoever was in charge of Earthforce in the system. Instead, while the other warships gathered in the space above the capital Susan had found herself on the receiving end of a call from the president. "Captain Ivanova," he was saying. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Your broadcasts during the crisis were most inspirational to me and my men." "I was just doing what had to be done Mr. President," Susan argued, not really wanting the recognition that had come with being one of the three main public faces of the rebellion against Clark. "If it hadn't been me then it would have been someone else." "But it was you Captain," the President continued. "And the people of Proxima would like to thank you properly." "That isn't really necessary," Susan tried to explain. "I am just here to fulfil my duty." President Mitrovic smiled at her attempt to fob off his offer. "Nonsense Captain. What you did for us has never been fully recognised and the people of Proxima, and me personally will not let your efforts be forgotten." "But.." Susan tried to argue. The President held up his hand in an effort to prevent any further argument. "Now Captain you wouldn't want to disappoint the people of Proxima would you now?" Susan sighed, realising that there was no way she was going to get out of what he had planned. "I guess not," she said in a defeated tone. "Good," President Mitrovic said. "I will expect you down here at eighteen hundred local time." He paused for a minute, "that's around eleven am Earth time, just a couple of hours from now." "I will be there," Susan promised, although the tone of her voice did not have any enthusiasm in it. "Come now Captain," Mitrovic said, trying to cheer her up. "It won't be that bad, just a small welcoming ceremony for the new Earth Alliance troops and yourself. Anyway you said that you were expecting to meet with the EA commander for this system. He will be at the party... err I mean ceremony so you will be able to see him there." Susan nodded. "I will look forward to meeting you then." "As will I Captain," the President assured her. "Oh and you can bring three of your command staff if you like. I will also be inviting Captain James and the other destroyer commanders. I will expect to see you in a couple of hours." With that the transmission ended from the surface, leaving Susan alone in her office. Sighing again she rubbed her temples in frustration. She closed her eyes for a moment, but quickly opened them again when the thoughts that hide behind her eyelids were even less pleasant than those that awaited her in the light. It had not been a good day so far, but at least if she kept herself busy she could stop thinking about Talia for a while. That in mind she tapped her link. The voice of Commander Petrov answered from his position on the bridge. "Yes Captain?" "Can you summon the rest of the command staff and ask them to meet me in my office as soon as possible," she ordered. "At once Captain," he said, and Susan could almost hear him saluting. That done she sat back and waited for the command staff to arrive. She wasn't going to force them to come with her, knowing how most officers felt about political functions, at least every military officer she had ever serve with. But on the other hand there was no way she was going to this party, or welcoming ceremony as the president called it, without at least a few of the crew along with her. ------------------------------------------------------------ "Is there anyone else who wants to attend," Susan asked after only Alister Schmitt expressed his interest in attending the upcoming celebration on the planet's surface. "I want at least one other. There is no way I am going down there with just Mr. Schmitt as company." She looked at the flight commander, "not that I don't enjoy your company Lieutenant-Commander. I just think the Rasputin need a bit more representation. After all we don't want to be outdone by the other ships. We don't want to offend the President of Proxima after all." "Well I can't," Petrov said, looking very apologetic. "In your absence I have to stay here and command the Rasputin. Regulations do state that at least one Command level officer should remain on board at all time, and with everyone else either busy or going down to the surface with you I am the only one free to remain on board." "And I have some important work to do in engineering," Phillip Moore said. "I have to go over the tests that we did while in Hyperspace. If there is something important in there then I should find it now so we can make adjustments before this ship goes anywhere else." "That is understandable," Susan agreed with him. She looked at the gunnery officer Vincent Dreyer, "How about you Mr. Dreyer?" "I would prefer not to Captain," he said in his low, gravelly voice, while trying to look apologetic. "Despite the fact that I don't really like these kind of things I want to make sure that I know how to run the weapons of this vessel. I was hoping to run some drills with my staff today. The main gun especially is very different to what most of them are used to. If you are unable to find another officer I will attend, but the drills are very important." "Damn," Susan said before looking at Petrov. "How about Dr. Taylor Commander?" He shook his head. "I asked her, but she said she didn't have the time. She seemed most definite about that too." "I will be happy to go with you Captain," the voice of Major Logan broke into their conversation as she entered the small office. Susan nodded, pleased that at least one other of her staff was interest, even if she was a little concerned about the Major's real motive. "Good Major, well that is two. That will have to do. It should be enough to make a good impression for the President of Proxima anyway." She was about to dismiss her staff when the telepath Anderson walked in, closely followed by Talia and for some reason Dr. Kozlowski who was fiddling about with a small hand-held machine as he followed the telepath's. "I think you are forgetting about someone aren't you Captain?" Anderson asked in a voice that carried across the room despite it's soft tone. Susan looked at him calmly, while at the same time trying to avoid looking at Talia, an almost impossible task as she stood just behind Anderson. "I can't think of anyone Mr. Anderson." He shook his head sadly. "I am wounded Captain. We are part of your crew after all, no matter what you think of us." With a sigh Susan relented, "would you like to attend this little party then Mr. Anderson?" He thought for a moment and then said, "no thank you. I am too busy to attend Captain, but it was nice of you to ask." Despite a brief flash of irrational anger at the arrogant telepath's words Susan held her tongue. "I am sorry to hear that Mr. Anderson," she said, her voice carrying more than a hint of sarcasm. "I was so looking forward to your entertaining presence, we will all be reduced by your absence." "I am so sorry to disappoint you then Captain," Anderson said, a smile on his face. Susan had the feeling though that inside he wasn't smiling, instead looking at the same way a wolf looks at her prey. She was probably paranoid, but she couldn't help but feel Anderson's only reason for being on board was to somehow trap her into revealing her telepathic abilities so he could drag her back to Psi-Corp. "I would like to go," Talia suddenly cut in, her soft voice barely carrying above the distant hum from the Rasputin's main computers that were housed in a large room just across the corridor from Susan's quarters. Both Anderson and Susan looked at her. Susan was surprised to hear her speak, while Anderson seemed more angry that she had spoken without his consent. "You would?" Anderson asked her in a guarded tone. "I am afraid that the invitation was for Mr. Anderson only," Susan said. The last thing she wanted to do was to spend several hours at a social event with Talia. Even looking at the beautiful telepath was enough to make her heart leap into her mouth and her chest tighten, and every time the telepath spoke Susan could feel a delicious chill running through her. She had to keep reminding herself that this was not Talia, and anything she felt for her was never going to be returned in kind. "Come now Captain," Anderson said, turning back to her. "My assistant would be perfect to take my place at this little get together on Proxima. That way Psi-Corp can have a representative." "I would prefer actually members of my command staff," Susan said, a deep frown spreading across her face. "Despite your feelings Captain my assistant should attend," Anderson said. "After all our presence here is to determine the fitness of the Rasputin's crew and what better place than at a social occasion like this." Susan sighed, realising that she was unlikely to win this argument without explaining her reasons for refusing Talia's presence. That was something she didn't have any intention of doing anytime soon. "Very well then Mr. Anderson your assistant can attend, as long as she remembers that this is social occasion and no some sort of test of our loyalties." Anderson smiled and inclined his head in her direction. "Thank you Captain." "Can I go too?" Kozlowski suddenly said, looking up for the device in his hand for the first time since he entered Susan's crowded office. Susan threw up her hands in frustration. "Why not." Kozlowski smiled broadly, "Great. Umm just one thing though. Where are we going?" Susan looked at him as if he had grown a second head or something similar. For a moment she though about throttling him, but realised that probably wouldn't look that good in front of most of her command staff. Instead she turned to her executive officer. "You can explain everything to Dr. Kozlowski Commander. I am going to get ready." "Yes Captain," he said as she left the room through the back door that led into her quarters. Talia watched her retreating form with a sad look on her face. The look soon faded though and her face returned to its normal cold, impassive mask as Anderson turned to her and said, "come along Ms. Winters. There is still plenty of work for us to do this morning." Inside her quarters Susan leaned back against the wall and let her face drop down into her hands. She let out a sob of frustration as she realised she had to send the rest of the day with Talia. It was the last thing Susan wanted to do when every time she saw the telepath she was reminded of the woman she had lost. Now she had to spend an entire evening with her, and was not looking forward to it. Sighing deeply she dragged herself into her bedroom and picked up her dress uniform, which she had just got back from the laundry down on deck five earlier in the morning. For a moment her hands wavered towards the bottle of vodka that rested on the small table near her bed before she dismissed that idea. The last thing she wanted to do now was turn up half-drunk to an important political event like this. Like always she would have to put up with the conditions that had been forced on her and sit through the speeches of gratitude from the Proxima authorities without any form of aid. She realised now why John Sheridan spent so much time of Babylon 5, and had refused the offers of tours of Proxima and the other colonies that had come late last year. He didn't want to go through what she had to now, to endure the endless thanks and gratitude of those who had been rescued from Clark's rule. It was not that she didn't realise how the people of Proxima felt, it was just that she didn't want to be fawned over, especially after the way ISN and the other networks had been following her around lately. After smoothing out a crease on her dress uniform and laying it back on her bed she unzipped the standard one she was wearing and slowly undressed and dropped it on the floor before walking through the door that led into her bathroom. A shower was just what she needed now, although it would have to quicker than she would have liked as the shuttle to the surface was supposed to leave in about twenty minutes. ------------------------------------------------------------ The small group of officers and crew who had gathered to see off Ivanova and her party had finally dispersed allowing Anderson to continue with his work. He hadn't wanted to be seen hanging around the shuttle bay while the Captain had been there, so had been forced to wait until her shuttle had departed from its bay. She had taken one of the smaller atmospheric shuttle, one of those with its own separate docking bay and airlock, while his shuttle was still sitting where he had landed in the main shuttle deck. Anderson smiled when he noticed they way that the other shuttles in the main bay seemed to be being kept well away from his, and the piles of cargo had been moved so not to crowd his vessel. It was almost as though the other shuttles feared his. 'They probably were afraid of scratching it and having to deal with me,' he thought as he opened the hatch leading into his shuttle's cargo area. Had one of the Rasputin crew actually seen what was hidden inside the Psi-Corp shuttle they would have been in for a real shock. Instead of the usually luxurious rows of seats that was normal there was instead racks of equipment, all feeding off the oversized fusion reactor hidden in the back of the shuttle. Pulling out a small tool box Anderson began to check the equipment to ensure that everything was still running smoothly. Although the trip had run a lot smoother than he had expected and surprisingly there had been no trouble on their arrival he was still worried that some tiny screw of circuit board may have come loose and that would ruin all the records he was supposed to collect. Had someone from Earthforce seen inside the shuttle they might have recognised the main console as something similar to the battle simulation system that everyone went through back at the academy. It was not exactly the same though. Instead of placing the pilot into a projected artificial simulation this machine projected a real event into a simulation so it could be recorded and viewed later. This was where Anderson would watch the coming events, making sure that everything went to his superior's liking. Finally satisfied that all of his equipment had made it through the trip safely Anderson put aside his tools and began to active the main systems. Sitting in the chair of the projection system he switched it on and scanned around local space. Unknown to the Rasputin's commanders Psi-Corp had tapped into the cameras and sensors that covered the warships outer skin. Using these he was able to see anything that anyone on the bridge of the warship could view. Right now all he could see was the Captain's shuttle plunging towards the planets atmosphere far below and the hulking shapes of the two troops transports off in the distance. There was no sign of the other warships, but Anderson assumed they were out of sight around the other side of the planet at the moment. After scanning around space a little more until he was satisfied that he was familiar enough with the system he switched it off and went over instead to the deep space communications network. Late last night while most of the crew had been asleep Anderson had snuck back into the shuttle bay and attacked a link to the Rasputin's main computer cable, which fortunately ran almost directly beneath the shuttle bay as it carried data from the sensors that hung beneath the warship to the secondary bridge above which handled most of the ship's navigation and detection systems. With the codes supplied by Kiel's associates it had not taken long to hack into the data line and he now had almost full access to all the same data that the Rasputin's crew received, as well as the warship's communications antennae. Typing in the frequency he had been given Anderson sat back and waited for the connection to be made. Because of the distance between the two, currently little more than a few hours travel in real space there was an almost instantaneous connection, and Anderson was rewarded for his efforts by the sight of a tired looking Centauri looking back at him. "What is the password?" the Centauri captain asked, his voice nearly as tired and worn as his face. "Clark falls but the company survives," Anderson supplied. "You must be Mr. Anderson then," The Centauri continued, his voice still sounding uninterested in the proceedings. "Are you ready to proceed?" "Yes," Anderson replied. "You release the hounds when ever you are ready." The Centauri captain nodded. "They will arrive in about four hours and are programmed not to fall into enemy hands so even if they are disabled they will be destroyed. I assume you will be watching?" Anderson nodded. "That is correct. The operation will be monitored fully from this end." "Very well. I wish you luck then Mr. Anderson." The communication was suddenly cut off as the Centauri captain pulled the plug at the other end. Anderson switched off the communication system and sat back. All he had to do now was wait until their test subjects arrived and then the fun would begin. Thinking about what was about to happen he counted himself lucky he was on board the biggest warship around the planet and not on the surface or on one of the smaller Omega destroyers because when the test began things around Proxima were going to get very interesting indeed. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 8, Part C Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 00:45:23 +0930 For disclaimers see part A Here is the final part of chapter 8 which is really only a filler chapter before the action packed chapter 9. But it is also a good introduction to Proxima III. ------------------------------------------------------------ Proxima III is probably best described as a desert world, but beneath the surface there are vast reservoirs of water that Earth scientists decided were the probably the remains of some ancient system of seas and oceans that had once covered the planet's surface. Why they vanished the scientists were unable to explain, but in a few places the water still came to surface and formed a small lake or spring fed stream. One of these places was right beneath the gleaming metallic structure that was Reagan Dome, the capital city of the Proxima system. When the first Hyperspace capable survey ships sent from Earth arrived in the system they had landed very close to the same spot where the dome now sat and after only a day of searching found the spring that was much later to become the water supply for a city of nearly three hundred thousand. There in that spring they discovered life, carbon based lifeforms similar to those on Earth and with that single discovery the planet was chosen as the sight for Earth's first off world settlement. Of course they were not to know about the other life-forms that lived on the planet, creature a lot more dangerous than the any that were found on Earth. When the first colonists arrived in early 2164 they soon found out about the monstrous predators that roam the deserts. But humanity eventually triumphed over the beasts of Proxima, or at least learned how to avoid them, and the colony was born. Over the nearly one hundred years since the planet was settled the population had expanded rapidly as Earth's government offered concessions for anyone who wanted to leave the overcrowded homeworld and settle in this new colony. With this new labour force and land to spare the heavy industry that had so polluted Earth in the past soon followed, setting up their factories on Proxima. It was this industry that made Proxima such an important planet now. Almost half of the Earth Alliance's main mining and manufacturing companies had their headquarters in the Proxima system, most taking advantage of the lower tax rate levied there. During the civil war Proxima III was the first planet Clark's forces tried to retake, and during the liberation it was the first Sheridan freed. Both leaders had known that whoever had control of the planet would likely win the war, as neither side could continue fighting for long without the parts for weapons and ships that came from Proxima III's factories, not to mention the vast protein factories that supplied nearly a quarter of the Alliance's food. This is mind it did surprise some when the people of Proxima rejected the offer of independence in the recently held referendum. Of all the worlds in the Earth Alliance it was perhaps the most capable of independence, with a breathable atmosphere and strong economic ties with other worlds. The offer of lower taxes by acting president Susanna Luchenko, who knew to lose the Proxima system was to lose any chance of regaining government for her party, was enough to swing the people of the planet behind the no vote. Instead the planet now had a new semi-autonomous status which really mean that the title of their leader was changed from governor to president and little else was altered. Right now that president, the newly elected Jarn Mitrovic, was guiding Susan Ivanova and the rest of the Earthforce officers from the shuttle landing strip on the outskirts of the city toward the gigantic dome that sat atop a small hill that rose out of the desert. Once it had been a large hill, but the Earth engineers who had built Reagan dome levelled the land off to provide a solid, flat base for the city to sit on. In the distance, past tall dunes of reddish sand Susan could see a range of jagged hills, which shone brightly with reflected sunlight in the slowly darkening landscape. In the other direction the sun had just dropped below the horizon, and as Susan knew from the information Earthforce had given her about the planet that meant the temperature was about to drop, very sharply. Still the president and his party did not seem to concerned about the coming cold night, and were instead walking leisurely towards the dome, while at the same time pointing out the major sites. Susan had tried to keep interested, but there were only so many factories you could look at before becoming bored. Instead she looked around on her own, while at the same time nodding pleasantly whenever the president spoke to her. The president himself was hardly the great revolutionary leader she had imagined, in fact she had been quite shocked when he called her on the Rasputin earlier. She had expected a much younger man, not the short, ageing man who had greeted her. He had the look of a business executive and not a freedom fighter, and when he spoke that impression only grew stronger. He didn't exactly appear that fit either, and was puffing slightly from the exertion of walking the short distance from the shuttle landing strip. Susan looked at him with a little concern wondering if he was going to make it the still long trip to the city. Looking up the city actually had not seemed to come any closer, and still appeared a fair distance off. Fortunately for Mitrovic's health he didn't intend on walking all the way overland to the city. Instead he stopped outside a low building a short distance from the landing strip. "We have arranged transport to the new Earthforce headquarters," he said as he pointed towards the building. "It isn't in the city?" Captain James, the commander of the Opollo asked. The President shook his head and look somewhat apologetically at the small group of officers in front of him. "I am afraid not, there was no room for the structure that Earthforce wanted. So we had to build it away from the city, but don't worry there will soon be a proper transport system from Reagan to the new fortress." Susan nodded with bored disinterest, until she noticed for the first time the tracks leading away from the building off into the desert, and realised that whatever transport the President had arranged it was land based, not a shuttle or similar vehicle as she had first thought. "Why didn't we just take our shuttle there?" she asked, slightly annoyed at the delay. She wasn't happy about the whole thing to start with and now it looked like it was going to take even longer than she had imagined. "Umm, well the hanger we put aside for shuttle landings isn't ready yet either." The President stopped as a horrible growling noise came from the low structure in front of them. A large, ugly looking vehicle leapt out of it's hanger and screeched to a stop beside them, it's tracked wheels throwing sand in a all directions. Brushing off the sand Mitrovic continued, "so instead we have arranged for you to use one of our crawlers. The vehicle was still making a lot of noise, but the volume had decreased a lot as it sat idling waiting for it's passengers. "I hope it is soundproofed inside," Captain James grumbled as the President hustled everyone up the dirty ladder into the main cabin of the crawler. In fact it was quite nice inside, a complete change from the outside with cushioned seats and air-conditioning. Susan took a seat near one of the windows so she could watch the planet's surface passing by. In fact it was growing too dark to see much at all, but the regions near the factories were floodlit for some reason so she would be able to see something as they travelled towards the new Earthforce base. President Mitrovic was the last on board, shutting the exterior door behind him. "Well I hope you are all comfortable," he said as he took his seat at the front of the cabin. When there was a murmur of agreement he nodded as if pleased and gave the order for the trip to begin. The cabin lurched as the crawler set off toward the base, but after it picked up speed the ride soon smoothed out. Susan looked around the cabin to see where the rest of her party was sitting. Major Logan was sitting next to the Opollo's Captain and the President, just in front of Susan and the other two destroyer captains, while Talia, Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt and Dr. Kozlowski were sitting on the other side of the cabin from Susan. She noticed that Kozlowski still had the same device that he had been playing with earlier, some sort of diagnostic device by the look of it. Sighing softly at the way Talia's blonde hair looked so beautiful against the dark window behind her Susan dragged her eyes away and instead tried to concentrate on the landscape that was speeding past her window. For some reason the sandy dunes and rough, broken rocks rushing past outside was strangely hypnotic and the hour long trip to the base passed almost unnoticed. Before Susan knew it the sand had given way to a gently sloping, rocky hillside as the crawler made it's way up to the fortress the Proxima government was constructing to house the twenty thousand Earthforce troops that were to protect the planet. She hadn't know what to expect, but the sight of tall stone wall, almost like some castle of old, certainly wasn't how she imagined the base would look like. It wasn't until she was inside that Susan realised how the place had been built. Somehow the builders had managed to carve out the inside a gigantic chunk of rock that rose out of the desert. The Earthforce base had been built inside the mountain of rock, providing it with better protection than any concrete or steel structure would have. Susan was immediately reminded of the Narn capital with it's tall stone fortresses. Most of those were gone now, destroyed in the Centauri asteroid bombardment, but when they had still stood Susan imagined that they must have looked much like this fortress. "Pretty impressive is it not Captain," President Mitrovic said as he noticed her interest. "Very," she replied softly, slightly in awe at the sight that now greeted her. Beyond the wall, or rather the cliff face, the crawler had rumbled through a long, well lit, tunnel. Before long it arrived in a gigantic, multi-levelled hanger that seemed to be the heart of the whole fortress. Three other similar tunnels ran off in the other compass directions, while around her was collected an array of vehicles, including at least six other crawlers and a row of starfuries that looked brand new. Their crawler slowly pulled up next to what looked like a lift and as soon as it had stopped Mitrovic got to his feet and said, "ok this is our stop, everyone off." He then opened the door and left the cabin. The Earthforce officers soon followed, out into the slightly chilly hanger. Susan was struck by how quiet the place was now that the crawler's engine had been switched off. The hanger appeared empty at the moment apart from the silent shapes of other vehicles. The President however did not stand around long enough for her to get a good look though, quickly hustling everyone into the nearby lift. ------------------------------------------------------------ The doors opened into what appeared to be almost another world. Gone was the dim chill of the hanger and in its place a large, warm, and well lit room filled with people and life. Looking around Susan realised that they must be somewhere near the top of the fortress. She could see windows lining every wall, real windows too, not the holographic ones on her ship. The room was large, but no where near as big as the hanger below so the mountain that the fortress had been carved out of must grow a lot narrower the higher it went. An officer in the brown of the Earthforce ground troops spotted their arrival and made his way across the crowded room to meet them. As he approached Susan saw that his uniform had the insignia of a Colonel, and realised that this must be the commander of the new base, Colonel Kroehn. Although effectively the same rank as Susan and the other destroyer captains he had been given command of the system's defence, which meant that Susan would have to answer to him during the time the Rasputin was here in the Proxima system. As he neared them she took the time to appraise her new commander. He looked about fifty or so, with thinning brown hair that still retained most of its colour and a neatly trimmed beard. Somehow he seemed to lack presence though. Someone had once told her that when she was in C&C on Babylon 5 she commanded by her very presence. She didn't really believe that, but no matter what she might have thought about herself she could not imagine Colonel Kroehn ever leading people that way. He had the look of a politician more than a military leader, which considering the sensitive nature of his posting was probably understandable. Still he had a charming voice as he welcomed her and the other guests to the party. His greeting was brief though as he turned his attention to the President and guided him aside for a private chat, leaving Susan and her party to mingle with the rest of the guests. This really was the sort of thing Susan hated most about these events. She didn't know anyone in the room, but by the lack of Earthforce uniforms she assumed they were probably important political and economic leaders from Proxima. Several of the guests recognised Susan and greeted her warmly, greetings she returned as briefly as possible. One of the guests, the owner of one of the major mining companies, insisted on dragging her around to meet all of his friends for nearly half an hour until finally she managed to escape. Free for a few moment she picked up a drink from a waiter's tray and looked around the room for the rest of party from the Rasputin. It took her a while to spot everyone in the constantly shift mass of humanity, but eventually she managed to locate her crew members. Major Logan was engaged in a very animated discussion with a small group of Earthforce officers, the only others in the room apart from the Colonel and the group that had arrived with Susan. She at least was happy, and so was Nathan Kozlowski who was talking to the architect of the fortress, at least that is what the name tag he wore on a shirt pocket said. Susan couldn't quite here what they were talking about but the small amount she did hear convinced her that she would be totally lost if she tried to join in.. Then she spotted the President and Alister Schmitt who were on the far side of the room talking with Colonel Kroehn and two of the other destroyer captains, who she still hadn't been introduced too. Deciding to remedy that situation Susan set out through the crowd, slightly urgently when she noticed the mining magnate, who's name she couldn't remember, heading towards her again. She was only half way across the room however when an hand snaked out of the crowd and gripped her wrist. "There you are Captain," Talia said in a silky voice. "I have been looking forward to getting you alone. We have so much to chat about after all." "We have nothing at all to discuss," Susan said coldly, while inside her heart fought with her mind. The telepath looked even more beautiful than ever tonight, dressed in a long emerald green dress that Susan though really set off her blonde hair nicely. It was a style she had never seen on Talia before, but then this was not really Talia she had to remind herself again. Talia laughed, a cold laugh that shattered any lingering illusions Susan might have had about her. "You really should learn to get over what happened in the past Captain." While still holding Susan's arm in a vice like grip Talia reached up with her other hand and gently stroked the Captain's cheek. Her voice dropped to a low whisper that barely carried above the noise of the other conversations in the room. "I mean there is no reason we can't still be friends. I me after all who bought us together before. If it hadn't been for me whispering in her ear then she would have never ended up in your arms, and you can't say you didn't enjoy that. I do have her memories remember." "You are not Talia though," Susan said as she tugged her arm free. "You are just a Psi-Corp monster that controls her body. You don't remember what we had together, there is no way you can imagine what I felt." Talia smiled. "I know you still love her Captain." She laughed again. "It is really quite pathetic to think that after all this time you still can't forget, put the past behind you. If you would like perhaps I could make you forget. Psi-Corp has some good techniques for erasing old, unwanted memories." Talia slowed her words as she finished the sentence, almost spelling out the last three words, leaving Susan in doubt what memories, or rather what personality, she was talking about. Susan looked angrily at the creature in front of her. "Just because I still feel for Talia does not mean that I have even the slightest feelings for you. I detest everything you have become, and I ever catch you trying to do anything in my mind I will stick you in the nearest airlock and open the doors myself." "You wouldn't do that Captain so don't try that tired old threat on me. You are still a helpless romantic and think there is some way to bring your Talia back don't you. Well let me assure you that she is dead and there is no way she will ever return." Talia slipped closer and ran her hand lovingly down Susan's arm. "That doesn't mean that you can't have with me what you had with her." "You can't be serious," Susan said incredulously. "Why not," Talia replied in a slightly hurt tone. "You still are a very attractive woman Captain, and I have the memories of our time together." She moved even closer and lowered her voice further. "You know Captain, I remember everything about you, every little detail. What you like and dislike, where you like to be touched, the little noises you make. I could give you more pleasure than you could possibly imagine." "But you don't have all of Talia's memories do you," Susan said suddenly. "I know you don't. There is no way you remember everything that happened between us. If you did I wouldn't be here now." With that comment she pulled away from Talia and left her standing in the middle of the room. Staring after her with a slightly confused expression Talia wondered what she had meant by that last comment. She shrugged, thinking perhaps Anderson was right and Ivanova had really lost it. Certainly it was plainly obvious the Captain was still in love with her, she had missed all the little glances Susan had sent her way since she came on board. As Anderson had predicted she was having the desired effect, leaving Susan distracted and therefore less likely to be able to prevent the Psi-Corp operative from performing his mission. She didn't know what that mission was but it must be important if Psi-Corp had been able to spare her from the research program. Pleased with herself after her efforts tonight Talia left the room and wandered down the hall towards the bathrooms. To amuse herself she scanned the minds of those who were watching her, enjoying the lustful thoughts of collection of old businessmen near the exit. She made sure to give them a little smile as she passed. 'After all,' she thought. 'There is no harm in keeping my options open.' ------------------------------------------------------------ As Talia left the room one person was watching her with less than pleasant thoughts. Lily had seen the way that the Captain had been upset by the telepath's comments, although she hadn't been close enough to actually hear what was being said. The Major, like most humans who lacked telepathic abilities of their own didn't really like telepaths, or Psi-Corp and the thought of the Captain being tormented by one did not leave a very good taste in her mouth at all. She wasn't exactly sure if the telepath had been tormenting the Captain, but Susan certainly didn't seem happy by her words so that was close enough for Lily. Excusing herself from the small group of officers she had been chatting with she made her way across the room towards the same hall Talia had just walked down. It took her sometime to cross the crowded room and by the time she made it to the bathroom door the telepath was just about to leave. Lily stopped her with an upraised hand and grabbing the front of her dress roughly pushed Talia back into the bathroom. Once out of sight of the main room she shoved the telepath up against the wall and said fiercely, "now you listen to me you cold bitch. If I ever catch you annoying the Captain again I will tear you apart myself." Talia smiled, despite the fact that her feet were no longer touching the ground. "What ever happens between the Captain and me is nothing to do with you Major," she said calmly, seemingly undisturbed by the Major's threats. "I think it is," Lily said, her voice still carrying more than a hint of anger. "The Captain is a friend of mine and if you do anything to hurt her I will make you pay." "I think the Captain is a big girl and can look after herself Major," Talia said, still smiling. "Personally I think you are just jealous. You are interested in find your own way into the Captain's bed and you don't like the competition." Lily's eyes narrowed and she dropped the telepath to the ground and at the same time pushed her away so Talia was thrown across the room and onto the floor. Talia though didn't seem bothered though as she picked herself up and smoothed out her dress. With an angry look still on her face the Major began to approach Talia again. Whatever she had intended on doing though was put on hold as she felt an invisible hand punch her in the chest and throw her back against the wall behind her, her head cracking against the stone wall with a sickening thud. As she lay on the floor, bruised and bleeding freely from a cut on her head Talia walked quietly over to her side and looked down at her. "You really shouldn't threaten me Major. You don't understand what I am capable of." Lily tried to pull herself to her feet, realising now that she had bitten off much more than she could chew this time. Before she could get up though she felt something tighten around her throat. Her hands immediately leapt to her defence, but there was nothing solid there. Despite that she was beginning to find breathing difficultly and her vision was starting to blur. Talia knelt beside the major, who had collapsed to the floor again, and said harshly, "consider this a warning Major. If you ever threaten me again I will do more than just shut off the air to your lungs. Next time I will crush every bone in your body, and don't think I can't do it. Psi-Corp has been training my abilities quite considerably over the past two years. If I wanted to I could crush you like I would an ant." Then she was gone and Lily found she could breath again, although her throat still hurt as though someone had been crushing it in a vice. Clambering back to her feet she looked at the telepath's back with hatred as Talia headed back out into the crowded room. Reaching up to her head she realised that her hair was matted with fresh blood, and so was the wall and decided it might be a good idea to clean up a bit first, before someone else came into the room and thought someone had been murdered. As she washed the blood from her hair and hands she made a vow never to take on the telepath again without at least a few of her men to back her up. It wasn't that she feared Talia, but anyone who could toss her across the room with just a thought deserved some respect. There was one thing she knew though, and that was that the telepath had to go, no matter what. ------------------------------------------------------------ Susan leaned back against the stone wall beneath one of the large windows that dominated the room. Outside it was dark and she could see very little, expect the bright lights of the city and the factories in the distance. Inside the party was in full swing, but she didn't really feel part of it. The encounter with Talia earlier had really set the tone for the evening and it had only got worse as the night had gone on. After listening to the Colonel and the President drone on for nearly an hour about the new fortress, discussing the smallest unimportant details, she had drifted away. Their conversation still assaulted her ears from close by, but not close enough to rise too far above the the background din of the rest of the room. Alister Schmitt had vanished from the group shortly after she had arrived, and after she had listened to the two leaders talk she had soon found out why. Grabbing another glass, this one containing a local fruit juice, she had wandered away and sought solace in the dark night outside. Of course by her internal clock, which was still aligned with the normal twenty four hour cycle it was not late enough to be night. In fact back on the Rasputin and the other warships the time would have only been just after one p.m., but on Proxima with its much longer day it was just entering the planet's sixteen hour night. Turning away from the window and back to face the party, or the welcoming ceremony as the President insisted on calling it, she watched with some amusement as one of the President's aides, a man she remembered from the trip to the fortress rushing through the crowd of guests, in such a hurry that he bumped one of the waiters, spilling a tray of drinks all over the glittering dress of one businessman's date. Her amusement soon turned to concern though when she noticed the hurriedly whispered conversation going on between the the aide and the President. Sensing by the way the President's normal jovial face was growing more and more alarmed that something important must have gone wrong she threaded her way past the small group of party goers who separated her from the President. "What is going on," she asked as she reached the President's side. President Mitrovic looked up from his conversation when Susan arrived, a visible look of relief on his face. "Captain, good I was just about to send someone to find you. It is terrible. You must do all you can to help us." "I am sure I will Mr. President," she assured him. "Just as soon as you tell me what exactly is going on." The President blushed faintly with embarrassment when he realised in that in the confusion he had forgotten to tell Susan the news. "Someone is attacking the planet," he said, an edge of desperation in his voice. "And here I have all the business and political leaders from the entire system here to tell them how safe I am keeping them. It is a tragedy. You have to do something to help us." ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 9, Part A Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 00:26:27 +0930 Here is the first part of Chapter 9. I will have nearly finished the second part, so look out for that tomorrow some time. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ Spoilers: There are spoilers for all 5 season of Babylon 5 in this story, so consider yourself well and truely warned. Disclaimers: The various B5 characters that I use in my story remain the property of Waner Brothers, TNT, JMS, and whoever else wants to claim them. The rest however are the proporty of my imagination and you can do what you will with them. ------------------------------------------------------------ Reunion - Part 9 By Sel Vecantie ------------------------------------------------------------ "I am not sure I can do much to assist down here on the planet Mr. President," Susan said. "Perhaps Colonel Kroehn would be better assistance. After all he would no more about the situation surely." "But surely you can call up your ship and get them to do something." The President's voice still had more than a little desperation in it. Susan shook her head, indicating her link on her hand at the same time. "Not unless you have a inter-planetary com system around here somewhere. These links are good, but not that good. If I was back at the city, or my shuttle I would be able to call them, but I think I am out of range here." The President looked around the room. "Kriesler will know," he said confidently. Spotting the person he was looking for he hurried off through the crowd of party goers, who as far as Susan could tell were still oblivious to the situation. She followed Mitrovic's path and saw he was heading towards the architect she had seen talking to Dr. Kozlowski before. The Rasputin's designer was no longer anywhere in sight though. Grabbing the President's aide by the arm Susan led him aside towards the windows, and out of earshot of everyone else in the room "Alright," she ordered. "Tell me everything you know, and quickly." "I.. I don't know much Captain," he stuttered out. "I just received a message from the EAS Opollo that they were tracking incoming fighters. They didn't say how many, or where they were coming from. There was no mention of any larger ships and so I assumed they were raiders." "Never assume anything," Susan said. Glancing across the room she saw the Colonel coming through the crowd with a groggy looking Major Logan at his side. She eyed the Major for a brief moment, wondering what was wrong with her, but Susan didn't have time to worry about her security officer now. As soon as the Colonel reached her side she asked him, "is there an operating com channel somewhere in this place." The Colonel looked a little confused. "Not that I know of Captain," he replied. "Most of the base is still in the construction phase. The power has been wired up on most levels though so there could be something around somewhere. Why?" "It appears that we are under attack Colonel," Susan said grimly. "I don't know all the details yet, but ... wait a minute." She spun back to face the aide. "How did you receive the message from the Opollo?" "Um, from Reagan dome Captain," he replied nervously. "It was on the emergency channel for the president." "Is there any way you can call them back?" Susan asked. "From one of the crawlers. They have a long range transmitter capable of sending a message to anywhere on the planet." "Can they send to orbiting vessels?" Susan asked hopefully. "I don't think so Captain," the aide replied. "But I can check. I know they are mainly used for scouting and overland trips like the one from the dome to the fortress. Reagan can relay messages though." "Good." Susan tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Go and set up a link between the city and us using the transmitters on one of those crawlers. I want communications with the fleet as soon as possible." "No need for that Captain," a voice cut in. Susan turned to face the speaker and saw it was the architect, Kriesler the President had called him and standing beside him President Mitrovic himself. "And why is that Mr. Kriesler?" she asked. "Because the operations centre on level seventeen is operational. We finished installing the equipment there last week. And now that power has been wired up across the whole place it will be ready to go." "Great," Susan said, a smile beginning to form on her face. She grabbed the aide again. "Go and round up all the Earthforce officers you can find and tell them to get down to level seventeen as soon as possible. With you permission of course Sir," she said turning to the Colonel. "Of course," he replied. "You seem to have things under control Captain, so why don't you take charge of whatever is happening up there while I keep Mr. Mitrovic's guests happy." "Sounds fine to me Colonel," she replied with a grin. "Although I think you have the harder job." "Maybe I do Captain," Kroehn said with an answering smile as he gently led the President of Proxima away from the small gathering of officers. Susan had the strangest impression that the Colonel was relieved that she was here, that somehow he didn't really want the responsibility of commanding troops. Normally she would dismiss it as instinct, but this was stronger than anything she had ever felt before. She didn't have time to consider it though so tossed it aside for now and turned to the aide again. "Why are you still here," she said with a frown. "You have your orders, get moving." "Y..Yes Captain," he replied with an impression of a salute. As he hurried away he let a grin slide it's way onto his face. He had always wanted to be in the military but his father had insisted that he go into the nice safe public service. Now at last he was going to be involved in a real battle. Norris Payne could barely contain his excitement as he rushed to do the Captain's bidding. As soon as he was gone Susan forgot about him and turned to the Major who was rubbing the back of her head in annoyance. "What is the matter with you Major?" she asked. Lily snatched her hand away from her head in embarrassment. "I am afraid I wasn't looking where I was going and bumped my head against a wall." "Well be more careful next time," Susan said. "Oh believe me I will Captain," Major Logan replied. Then under her breath, so the captain couldn't hear, she muttered, "next time that Psi-Corp bitch is going to be the one coming off second best." "You can come with me Major," Susan ordered. "I don't want anyone unauthorised getting into this operations room, wherever it is. If the president's guests start to panic I don't want them getting in my way." "You can count on me Captain," the Major assured her. Susan nodded and seeing the President's aide had gathered all the rest of the Earthforce officers together led the Major and the architect, to the lifts down to the lower levels. Wanting to get to the operations room before anyone else she hurried across the room snatching a rather surprise Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt from the arms of an attractive woman he was dancing with along the way. "I suppose there is a good reason behind this Captain," Alister asked her as soon as the doors to the lift had closed. Humour more than annoyance tainted his voice. "You bet Mr Schmitt," Susan replied. "According to the President's aide a force of raiders is about to attack the planet." "Damn," the flight commander swore. "That is a good reason. Any ideas on how many and the size of the ships?" "Not yet. But there is apparently some kind of operations room down here on one of these levels. I am hoping it will have a com link that is operational so I can call the ship." "It had all the latest from Earthforce," Kriesler cut in. "We made sure that it was ready in case of an emergency. It would have been up and running properly by now, but the President asked that we complete the observation lounge before we went on to, as he put it, less important matters." The lift came to a stop and it's doors opened up into a dark room. Fumbling around in the dark Kriesler was able to find the light controls. "Sorry Captain, but none of the voice control system are operational yet. They will be going in next week." "You know a lot about the construction Mr. Kriesler," Susan commented as she walked into the large, and now well lit, operations room. "I thought you were just an architect." "Yes, but my company is also doing the construction so I have been around here keeping an eye on things." "Good," Susan replied looking around a still unfinished room crammed full of console shaped objects still covered with plastic wrapping to keep the dust and paint off while the rest of the room was finished. "Then you can tell me what all of this stuff is." Kriesler looked around and shrugged helplessly. "I am afraid I have no idea Captain," he admitted. "I only designed the main fortress, all of the classified stuff was done by a team from Earthforce, and they would be back at the dome at this time of the night." "This looks like a communications console over here Captain," Alister called from the other side of the room. "Get it up and running Lieutenant-Commander and I will be with you in a minute," Susan ordered him before turning back to Major Logan. "Major you stay here and make sure that no-one expect for Earthforce officers, the President, and his aide come in." She turned to walk across the room when a sudden thought hit her and stopped. "Oh and Major, that includes Dr. Kozlowski. I don't want him in here either, there is no telling what he might do." "Yes Captain," the Major replied, taking up a stance in front of the lift doors and crossing her arms, ready to stop anyone who might try to barge their way into the room. Walking across to the communications console Susan saw that Alister had already powered it up, and she breathed a sigh of relief, realising that the power to the room had been connect to more than just the lights. "Get me the Rasputin," she ordered, taking a seat on the edge of the console. Alistair's quickly called up the warship, and to everyone's surprise the system connected him without any trouble. Susan tapped her link, realising that once the communications link between the planet and the surface was made her link was now a lot more than just a hi-tech time piece. "Ivanova to the bridge." A voice she recognised as that of Commander Petrov answered her almost immediately. "Captain," the Commander said, and Susan thought she recognised a undertone of relief in his voice. "Things are a little hairy up here at the moment." "What can you tell me," she asked. "All we got is that a bunch of raiders is attacking the planet." "They are not raiders Captain," Petrov informed her. "In fact we don't know what they are. The Opollo spotted them about fifteen minutes ago in a group of about a hundred or so. They are roughly octagonal in shape and do not match any known silhouette." "Are you certain they are hostile," Susan cut in, eager to find out that important detail before anything else. "No Captain we are not," Petrov answered. "The Opollo sent out a scout ten minutes ago and it should be within range soon. If they attack then we can be pretty sure they are hostile. Commander Quinn on the Opollo thinks that they could be from some new alien race we haven't met yet, but their hull looks more like our own ships than any alien vessel." "Some new raider vessel," Susan queried. "I haven't heard anything about anything new from the raiders for a while. John's, .. I mean Sheridan's forces have been keeping them quiet. They lost most of their big carrier ships last year." "Well I don't if these are raider vessels or not, but they have to be coming from somewhere in the system. They are way to small to have any kind of jump engine, smaller even than a Starfury." "That is small," Susan said. "Ok Commander, I will leave everything in your hands up there while we see what we can do to help you down here. Keep in touch if anything new happens." "Will do Captain," Petrov replied before Susan cut shut off her link. She turned to Alister. "Lieutenant-Commander I want that line kept open, and when everyone else arrives see if you can't get in contact with the other warships as well. We may need to co-ordinate everything from down here." As the flight commander nodded and set about his task Susan stood, having just noticed that the rest of the Earthforce officers arriving, several looking like they had been having more than a little to drink. 'Well they are not going to be much help,' Susan thought to herself as she went back across the room to greet them. Captain Murdoch James pushed his way to the front. "I don't suppose you want to tell us what is going do you Captain," he asked, his voice thick with anger. "All I know is I am grabbed by this idiot here." The Captain pointed to the young aide. "And forced to come down to wherever this place is." "Bad news I am afraid Captain," Susan told him, ignoring his angry tone of voice. "It seems a large force of raider ships looks like it might be about to launch an attack on the planet. I have just spoken to my executive officer and he said that your vessel has just sent out a scout.." "What!" James cried. "That fool, you don't send out a single fighter to investigate an enemy fleet, all that get you is a dead fighter. We learned that back in the Minbari War. Get my ship on the link at once." "I am afraid it is too late Captain," Alister Schmitt suddenly said, looking up from the communications console. "Commander Petrov has just reported that the scout has been destroyed by the enemy fighters. He never even had a chance to fire a shot." "Damn," the Opollo's captain cried. "Get that idiot Quinn on the link now, and tell him I am taking over command of this battle. Get hold of the other two ships as well and get them to follow the Opollo's lead, starting with launching every fighter we have." He turned back to Susan. "Captain, you know what you ship is capable of better than me. Is it ready for battle?" Susan shook her head. "Not really," she replied. "If it is needed it is there, but the crew don't even know how to use most of the new weapon yet. We do have a full load of Starfury pilots though, some of the best in Earthforce in fact. Tell Commander Petrov to scramble them and place them under your command. I will see if we can't raise some sort of defence out of whatever Proxima has, although I don't imagine that that will be much." James nodded and looking over at the other officers signalled for one of his own men to come over and assist Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt on the communication's table. The other two Captains, Waterman and Maruichi, hurried over to his side to contact their own vessels while the rest of the officers, both those from the destroyers, and those attached to the new base milled about looking confused. Susan quickly scanned the room looking for anything useful she could use. A console in the middle of the room leapt out at her as soon as her eyes passed over it and she realised that it must be one of the new holographic display systems. She had read about them in a recent article in an Earthforce magazine while on Station Prime. Dragging off the plastic sheet she looked around for the controls that would activate the display. "I can help you with that Captain," one of the officers said hurrying over to assist her. "I am going to be assigned here as soon as the fortress is operational so I know a little about the systems." "Do you know which ones are working at the moment?" Susan queried him as he activated the holographic display. "I am afraid not Captain," he said completing the start up sequence and standing back to watch as a wire-frame representation of the planet formed above the console. A few more taps of the keyboard and a series of multi-coloured dots appeared. It didn't take long for everyone in the room to work out which colour represented what. A cluster of red dots a little away from the planet were obviously the enemy fighters, while closer in Susan and the other officers could see four green dots, one, likely the Rasputin, slightly apart from the others and three blue dots. The two blue dots near the Rasputin were obviously the troops transports, still unloading their cargo of Earthforce soldiers, which meant that the last dot must be the construction site for the new station. "Can you get any more detail Lieutenant?" Susan asked. "Fighters, headings, that sort of thing?" The lieutenant quickly tapped a few more keys and the display went black. With a look of embarrassment he quickly worked to restore the image, only this time there were a lot more dots on the holographic projection as well and arrows and numbers. "It looks like the enemy fighters are heading towards the station Captain," he informed Susan. "Looks like it," she agreed as she also noticed the heading arrow sitting just above the group of tiny red dots. Then a cloud of small green dots began to erupt from the front of the warships and she realised that their fighters had now been launched. It still looked as though the enemy had more fighters though, and if they were going to attack the station then the destroyers would be unable to fire for fear of blowing apart the still only half-complete station. A ruckus at the lift door caught her attention and Susan looked up from her musings on the display to see President Mitrovic, several aides, and Colonel Kroehn making their way into the room. She sent a brief glare in the direction of Major Logan who shrugged helplessly as if to ask who she was to stop the President of Proxima's aides from entering. Fortunately the President seemed content to just watch for the moment, and if he hadn't she would have ordered him removed. If there was one thing she hated more than anything it was civilians who tried play soldier. It always ended in disaster. Colonel Kroehn, seeing the holographic display crossed the room to take a closer look for himself. "Well how does it look Captain?" "Not good Colonel," she said, pointing out the enemy fighters on the display. "It looks like there are at least a hundred of them, and while we have nearly the same number of fighters ourselves we don't know the capabilities of the enemy vessels. We do however know that they are hostile and they have already destroyed one of our fighters." "Why can't we just send the destroyers in to take them out?" the Colonel asked, pointing towards the large green dots. "Because it looks likely that they will try to attack the station construction site and if the destroyers move in they will most likely end up blowing away half that station while they are trying to hit the fighters." "We might be able to lure a few of the raiders away though," Captain James put in as he looked up from the command console for the first time since the scout had been destroyed. "If we can get them away from the station then the destroyers can pick them off. I will see what I can organise." "You can't destroy them before they reach the station?" Kroehn asked. Susan shook her head. "I wish we could Colonel, that would make it a lot easier. Those raiders are moving too quickly for the destroyers to intercept them in time, so unless they change their course it is up to the fighters." Susan looked over to the Lieutenant who was operating the display. "How long until our fighters intercept the enemy?" The Lieutenant responded at once, reading the data off the display. "Nearly thirty minutes Captain, that is if all our fighters attack at the same time." "Which is what they will be doing," Captain James said, and he didn't sound like he wanted to hear any arguments on the matter. "Thirty minutes it is then," Susan replied. She was about to ask the Colonel if there where any defence systems on the station when she noticed a blinking green light that appeared to be on the planet's surface. "What is that there Lieutenant?" she asked, pointing to the light. He followed her arm until he discovered the location she was pointing to. "That is us Captain." "It is? Why does it show up as green then. Only active units are meant to be green, shouldn't it be blue for non-combatant." "Yes it should," the Lieutenant agreed looking close at the single blinking light. Susan spun on the Colonel. "Colonel Kroehn," she asked. "Is there any active weapons at this base?" He shook his head in the negative. "Not that I am aware of Captain." Susan looked next at the architect Kriesler who also shook his head. "Then why the hell does this computer show us up as an active unit? It couldn't be a software fault could it?" she asked, directing that last question to the Lieutenant operating the console. "I don't know Captain," he replied, confused as she was by the light. "This system his supposed to have some new semi-intelligent battle computer running the whole show. I was told that it was the latest things from Earthforce research." "That's all very well," Susan told him. "But it doesn't explain why it is showing this base." "Well I would assume because the computer knows something that we do not. It is telling me that this base can take an active part in any battle. Unfortunately, and I don't know if this is because the system has not yet been fully set up or because I don't know how to read it properly yet, it doesn't tell us how we exactly the base can assist." "Captain," Alister Schmitt suddenly spoke up. "Not now Lieutenant-Commander I am trying to work this out." Susan was eager to find any asset she could, and if this base could be of any assistance then she was damn sure she was going to make it pull it's weight. "But Captain," he continued in an insistent voice, one that made Susan listen to what he was saying this time. "I know what the computer is trying to tell you." "You do," Susan asked incredulously. "Well what is it then." "The fighters Captain," he replied and then noticing her confused look continued. "The fighters we saw down in the hunger. There are twelve brand new thunderbolts with full weapons sitting down there, all they need is pilots." A look of understanding crossed Susan face for a second, only to replaced a moment later by a frown. "But do we have any pilots," she asked, looking at the Lieutenant across the console. He shook his head, "I am afraid not Captain, they are not due for another week or more, along with another shipment of new fighters. The only Earthforce officers on this planet at the moment are those in this room, the rest at the temporary base in Reagan dome and the troops that are being transferred down from the transports even as we speak. I think they are being housed in the dome as well though, so not much help to us." "Are those fighters ready to launch though Lieutenant?" Susan asked, an idea beginning to form in her mind. 'It has been too long since I flew a fighter,' she thought to herself. "Yes, they were checked out fully by a team from the temporary base a few days ago, and all the weapons expect a load of missiles were installed. The launch tunnels are not ready though, there is no guidance system running." "You don't need guidance systems with thunderbolts though," Alister told Susan, realising that she had probably had little experience with the new model fighters. "They are designed to be able to take off and land from planets, so have much better flight computers than the average Starfury, including terrain following scanners and the like." Susan backed away from the console until she was standing next to her flight commander. "Are you thinking what I am," she asked him in a low voice, low enough that no-one else in the room could hear them speak. "Well it is not much use us just standing around here is it Captain." he replied in a similarly low voice. "Captain James should be able to handle things and given the odds a couple more pilots, especially if you are as good a pilot as I have heard, could swing the battle our way." Susan nodded in agreement and looked up at the Lieutenant. "How long would it take a thunderbolt Starfury to get from the surface up to the battle?" she asked him. The Lieutenant looked at her in surprise, but fed the request into the battle computer. "Umm about ten minutes Captain, at maximum burn, fifteen if the pilot was conserving fuel." "That would get us there in plenty of time," she said to Alister, again lowering her voice. After he nodded in agreement she called over to Captain James who was still busy shouting at his executive officer. "Captain, I have something I would like to check out. Can you take care of things here?" He didn't respond, instead just waving his hand in her direction. She choose to assume that was a signal of agreement and turned back to Alister. "Are you sure you want to do this Lieutenant-Commander. It could get quite nasty up there." "Well you only live once Captain, the question is what do you want to do?" Susan thought for a second before reaching a decision. "Well there is not much I can do standing around here is there, and as you said a couple more pilots could swing the battle our way. And besides it is not as if I am not experienced enough, I used to fly missions all the time when I was a commander back on B5." "Then we go?" he asked. Susan nodded again and turned to the console operator. "Lieutenant you are in charge here. Give Captain James any help you can." "Yes Sir," he said. "But Captain, where are you going?" "To take the battle to the enemy Lieutenant," she replied, briskly walking toward the door with Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt in tow. Passing Major Logan she drew the marine aside for a second and spoke to her softly. "Major, I am going down the hanger below. Can you come along, we might need you help." The Major nodded and followed them as they entered the lift. President Mitrovic had noticed Susan's move toward the exit though and was heading towards them, a look of concern on his face at Susan's departure. She wasn't about to wait around and listen to his whining though and before he could reach them she press the lift's controls, sending it hurtling down towards the hanger below. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 9, Part B Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 16:29:49 +0930 For disclaimer see Part A. The final part of this chaper will be along soon. ------------------------------------------------------------ The hanger was still as dimly lit as Susan remembered from the brief moment she had spent there on the way up to the observation lounge, but the slight chill had grown into something much more substantial. Behind the scattered collection of dirty crawlers like the one the President had used to bring them here Susan could see the row of thunderbolt fighter/bombers. She hadn't really noticed them when she had first passed through the hanger, but now she could see that Alister had indeed spoken the truth and they were ready to fly. In fact they were brand new models, straight out of the construction yards and although the Earthforce logo had been painted on them, as well as their serial numbers there was none of the other more personal detailing common on Starfuries. Susan still remembered with some nostalgia her fighter on Babylon 5, with its eagle emblem plainly visible on the top. Sure other members of Alpha wing had used it as well, but it had always remained hers in her heart, ready to fly whenever she needed it. Now she was going to fly an unknown fighter, a new vessel that she didn't really know. To top it off the fighter was a Thunderbolt, a model she had very little experience with, having flow one only a few times. Still a Starfury was a Starfury, and the controls in the new models were very similar to the old, although the body and the feel of the fighter when it was in space was completely different. Alister Schmitt came jogging across the hanger from where he had been examining the tunnel leading out of the fortress. "It looks safe enough Captain," he said, while at the same time rubbing his arms in an attempt to fend off the growing cold. "It will be close to impossible to land though. Without the guidance system we won't be able to bring them down here and will have to land at either one of the shuttle strips or on the Rasputin." Susan nodded. "There will be no trouble taking off though?" she asked. "None at all," he replied. "If the tunnel is wide enough to bring one of those crawlers down then we can fly a thunderbolt out through it easily." "Good," Susan said, going over to the nearest fighter and setting to work undoing the clamps that secured them to the ground. She looked up at Major Logan, who was still sheltering from the cold near the lift doors. "Major, can you take a look around and find some flight suits while we get these fighters reach for launch. Lily nodded, and set off across the hanger towards a pile of crates that were just visible through the dimly lit gloom. High above there were some lights, but they were not strong enough to fully light up the hanger and only the spotlights near the lift made it possible for Susan and Alister to see what they were doing. The Major returned a few minutes later, just as Susan had finished undoing the clamps that held the fighters to their transport trolleys. From somewhere Lily had managed to find a small forklift and had used it to carry an entire stack of crates. When Susan looked at her quizzically she said, "I didn't know your size Captain. So I bought them all. That way I don't have to go back over there if the first suit doesn't fit you. It is damn cold when you get out of the light." Susan smiled in appreciation of the Major's thoughtfulness and then went and selected a suitable flight suit from the neatly stacked, plastic wrapped packages piled up inside the top crate. Fortunately they had her size. Flight suits were normally specially crafted to their wearer, but this one would do just as well for now. Although if she was forced to wear it for too long it would likely leave her feeling sore and cramped. She quickly pulled off her jacket and tossed it to Lily before tugging on the flight suit over the rest of her uniform. It didn't fit quite as well as she might have hoped, with something pinching the small of her back, but it would do for what she hoped would be a short battle. She had left her old flight suit back on Babylon 5, not really thinking she would ever need it again. As she struggled to do up the clamps that held the gloves and boots of the suit in place she made a quick mental note to get another made just in case. Over near the second fighter Alister Schmitt was just pulling on the flight suit the Major had handed him. Susan called over to him, "ready to go Lieutenant-Commander?" He nodded and gave her the thumbs up signal before picking up the heavy helmet and climbing up the ladder into the cockpit of the fighter. Susan found her own helmet, which like the flight suit was unadorned with any symbols or rank insignia, just the Earthforce emblem on the top. She was about to place her foot on the first step of the ladder when Major Logan's voice interrupted her. "Captain," the Major said. "I just wanted to wish you good luck." Susan smiled down at her. "Thanks Major," she replied as she clambered up into the cockpit and took her seat. "Hopefully I won't need it and the battle will be over by the time we get there." Strapping herself in Susan began a quick check of all the systems. Everything seemed to check out ok, even the fuel and weapons which she had been surprised to find were registering as full on the flight computer. After a final pull on the straps that held her in place to ensure they wouldn't come lose Susan placed the helmet over her head and clicked it into place. Then she attached the lead from the fighters oxygen supply so she would be able to breath once they had left the ground. At the moment the helmet felt heavy on her head, but once they were off the ground Susan knew that feeling would vanish as the weight of the planet's gravity faded away. Of course there was alway the force created by the sharp turns and loops that fighters were forced to make in combat, but she was used to that. Seated the suit felt a little more comfortable, and it did not seem to restrict her movements the way a really ill fitting flight suit would. A voice sounded in her ear as Alister found the frequency for her fighter. "Ready to fly Captain," he asked. She flick the control on her com panel that allowed her to reply to any incoming message. "Ready to go Lieutenant-Commander. You can take the lead though." Susan scanned the panel in front of her and found the control that activated the fighter's main computer. She pressed it and was rewarded by a rising hum from somewhere behind her, the fighter's reactor coming online. The main display screen lit up, running through it's own pre-flight check. Just has Susan had found all the ships systems were working properly and a row of green lights came up next to each item on the computer's check list. Pressing the send button she sent another message to Alister. "Pre-flight check reads go Mr Schmitt, and I have a fully powered rotating plasma cannon ready to do some damage. So as you as you are ready we can launch." In response the flight commander activated his fighter's thrusters, lifting the vessel off the ground and then the main engines fired and it shot off across the hanger and down the tunnel like an arrow from a bow. Susan quickly followed suit, activating the thrusters of her own fighter and then when it was high enough off the ground pressing the control that switched the main engines to full. Before she could move her hand back away from the controls the fighter thrust itself across the hanger like some wild beast let loose from it's chain. Susan had little time to react before the tunnel was suddenly in front of her. The quick reactions that had served her so well in the past responded again this time and she gently led the fighter to one side, towards the middle of the tunnel and away from the wall she had nearly clipped with her wing. When she had come this way earlier in the slow crawler it had seemed to take forever, but in the powerful thunderbolt the tunnel was a brief blur of motion and then she was free. Like two flaming arrows the fighters shot out of the mountainside and powered up into the dark night sky of Proxima. Susan quickly realised that the fighter was shaking around way too much and activated the wing stabilisers. As soon as they had extended the fighter's flight smoothed out and she settled back for the short journey to the construction site of the space station. Barely a minute out of base though a voice suddenly exploded in her ear. "Captain Ivanova," the irate voice of the Opollo's captain assaulted her eardrums. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" For a moment Susan thought about not replying but instead her fingertip flicked the switch that would allow her to reply. "Captain James. Sorry I didn't get time to inform you of my plans, but I am taking these fighters up to help out. Besides I will get a better view of the battle from up there, and another couple of fighters may prove useful." "Be that as it may Captain, you are going against all regulations. A ship's commanding officer is not supposed to ever leave his or her post. I must assist you return at once." "Except currently I am not the Rasputin's commanding officer. Commander Petrov has command while I am on the surface. Besides there is no way for me to land." There was something about Susan's voice that made the other captain pause for moment before replying. "Very well Captain, if that is the way you want it so be it. But I hope I won't have to explain to Earthforce command why I allowed you to get yourself killed." Susan smiled to herself, realising that she had convinced James. "I have no intention of dying Captain. Ivanova out." The conversation had only taken a few second's but already the fighters were nearing the edge of the atmosphere, their wing tips growing cherry red with the friction. "Level it out a bit more Captain," Alister cut in suddenly, noticing that Susan's fighter had too steep an angle of ascent. She quickly complied and settled in to a slow atmospheric departure behind the flight commander's fighter. A minute later and the sluggish feeling in the controls they had experienced ever since taking off vanished and the two fighter's roared out into the vacuum of space. Despite being well strapped down, and in a fighter still pulling several gees, Susan could feel a lightness come over her as Proxima's gravity began to receded away into the distance. Intent on reaching the other defenders as quickly as possible though she choose not to go to far away from the planet, instead following Alister's fighter as it flew just outside the upper atmosphere. A bright spark of light erupted from below the horizon and the material that made up the cockpit canopy immediately darkened to filter out the harmful glare. Like all modern fighters the thunderbolt was equipped with a special glare filters to cut out any danger of loosing vision when flying towards a sun. This lessened the chance of an enemy sneaking up on you by using the sun as a shield, but did not remove it all together. Fortunately most of the sun's light was blocked by the large shape of the space station that the two fighters were heading towards. Still it added another, annoying element to the coming battle. The pilots would now have to get used to the light filters switching on and off as they fought. It was possible to fight almost completely by the instruments and displays in the fighters, but most good pilots refused to trust them, relying instead on their own eyes and skills for spotting enemy craft. As they were now nearing the construction site for the station Susan inputed the Rasputin's com code into the fighter's communications system. "Ivanova to Rasputin," she said. "Are you there Commander." Petrov's voice came back to her after only a brief wait. "Captain," he said. "Are you mad. I didn't know if I should believe Captain James or not when he said you had taken a fighter and gone to join the battle. Surely you realise how dangerous it is up here." Susan found herself almost laughing at the executive officer's concern. But at the same time she felt a little hurt that no-one would believe in her abilities as a pilot. "I think I can handle myself Commander. Besides there was nothing I can do down on the planet, while here I will have a much better look at battle and be able to better assist." "You can say that again," Susan heard Petrov mutter on the other end of the line before he continued. "Do you want to take command of the Rasputin's fighters then?" "No, Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt can do that. He is the flight commander after all. I will take over Alpha wing. Where are they by the way." "On the other side of the station, waiting for the enemy to arrive." The Commander paused for a minute and Susan could hear a muted discussion going on somewhere just out of earshot on the Rasputin's bridge. The Petrov's voice returned. "I have placed all the fighter squadron's under Mr. Schmitt's control. As you said Captain it is better to lead a battle from within it, and the Rasputin is still a fair distance away, although the other destroyers are closer." "Good," Susan replied. "It might pay to stay out of the battle and let the fighters handle this. The destroyers can pick off any enemy fighters that stray away from the bunch while we take care of the rest. Whatever you do don't try and attack the fighters while they are near the construction site. You will only end up hitting the station, and there are probably upwards of three or four thousand civilians working there." "Nearly five thousand actually Captain. But you are right we can't get too close, a destroyer's weapons do not have the accuracy of a fighter." He paused again and Susan heard the rustling of paper as someone handed him a sheet of paper. Then his voice returned. "I have to go Captain. I have ordered the lieutenant in charge of Alpha wing to surrender command to you. Good luck." "Thank you Commander," she replied as the link went silent. Noticing that she was drifting too close to the station she veered wide, making sure she didn't run into any of the almost invisible beams that were poking out all over the place. Eventually they would form the frame of the new station, but now they were just in the way. Sweeping around the main part of the station, which had already been completed to house the workers during the construction, she saw the vast bulk of the Earthforce fighters, gathered in several groups of nine or ten fighters each. The full compliment of fighters from all the warships should have been around a hundred and twenty, but there was only little over a hundred gathered here, indicating that not all the warships had been able to launch their entire squadrons. Spotting the insignia of the Rasputin's fighters she was pleased to noticed that almost the entire four squadrons were arrayed below, with only maybe one or two fighters missing. Keeping well away from the outer hull of the station Susan nudged her fighter towards the small group that was Alpha wing. As she slowed to a stop at the head of the squadron the former leader, a lieutenant she probably hadn't even met yet, dropped back into the Alpha two position, forcing a rearrangement among all the other fighters as they sought to keep formation. To her surprise Alpha wing was also made up of thunderbolt fighter/bombers instead of the more common Starfuries that comprised half the Rasputin's squadrons. That fact at least would make her job easier as it was always best to control a squadron where all the fighter behaved similarly to your own. Of the enemy fighters there was no sign yet, but as soon as they came within range of the fighter's sensors then they would show up on the display screen that rested just below the canopy. At the moment it was only showing wire-frame images of nearby Starfuries, and nothing on the enemy fighters yet. Susan did not have long to wait as the a flashing red image appeared on the edge of the screen as the first of the enemy fighters came into range. "Ok this is it everyone," Alister Schmitt's voice cut into the thoughts of the pilots gathered. "Remember we have to try and force them out into the open as much as possible so the destroyers can pick them off, and whatever you do don't let the get near the station." Susan noticed something strange on the screen. Then image of the enemy fighter was wavering slightly, especially when compared to the normal clear images of the other Earthforce vessels. Quickly she tapped the send switch on her com panel to warn the flight commander. "Mr. Schmitt, take a look at your screen. Those fighters have some sort of stealth system." "Shit," Alister cursed. Then he quickly sent Susan's warning to the rest of the fighters. "Don't trust your screens everyone. The enemy have some sort of stealth system and the computer is having trouble locking on to them. So use visual sighting only if possible." He then sent a short private message to Susan. "This is going to make things hotter than we wanted Captain." "I realise that," she replied quickly "Be careful out there." Alister's fighter flew into view just to the left of hers and through the clear canopy she could see the flight commander waving encouragingly. Then his voice filled the ears of the fighter fleet again. "Start your engines boys and girls, here they come." As one the cloud of fighters leapt out of their position beneath the station and roared towards the enemy fighters. As they did so they passed into space lit by the distant sun and Susan had her first real glimpse of what they were fighting. The enemy fighters were smaller than their Starfury opponents, but at the same time harder to hit. Looking front on they were almost wafer thin with no visible cockpit or anywhere else for a pilot to sit. Poking out the front of the fighters though were two ugly looking weapons. Further observation was lost though as the two groups of fighters became locked in combat. As one the enemy fighters fired, sending hundreds of fiery bolts of green energy across space. Three Starfuries erupting into balls of flaming gas and metal as the enemy fighters split apart in a classic starburst formation, performed to absolute perfection. In front of them the Earth fighters were left scattering in confusion as they swerved to avoid the enemy fire while trying to attack themselves. "Keep in formation," Susan ordered her squadron, as they scattered to avoid several bolts of enemy fire. Spotting several enemy fighters that had broken away from the main fleet and was heading toward the station she quickly turned and followed them, the rest of her fighters joining her. The octagonal shapes of the five enemy fighters suddenly spun around in space as they detected the thunderbolts closing on their tails. Super-heated plasma flew in Susan's direction but expecting some sort of attack she had already slid out of the way and lining up one of the enemy fighters peppered him with her own weapons. To the uninitiated the single plasma cannon on a thunderbolt was not as effective as the earlier models of starfuries, but they did not realise that the rotating, multi-barrelled cannon, could fire five times as fast as quad cannons on the older fighters. This gave the thunderbolt an equally powerful weapon with greater accuracy. Susan put all that accuracy to work as the bolts of energy from her cannon tore jagged holes in the enemy fighter, right where she imagined that the pilot's cockpit must be. To her surprise though it didn't even slow down, instead spinning around to face her, it's own weapons spitting fire. Dragging her fighter into a loop she avoided the enemy's fire while at the same time allowing her to come out of the loop almost on top of him. Her cannon spat plasma again, this time aiming directly for the glowing, green engines. She was rewarded by an eruption of fire from the enemy fighter's engines, followed closely by a massive explosion that tore the fighter apart and left spots dancing before her eyes as the filter on her canopy struggled to catch up with the sudden change of light intensity. Skilfully avoiding the cloud of dust and broken metal that had been the enemy vessel she turned her fighter around to see how the rest of Alpha Wing were doing. To her surprise and pleasure they had taken care of the other four enemy fighters with no trouble and were beginning to form up again, ready for her next orders. She nodded in pleasure at the way they had handled the short battle, realising that Earthforce hadn't lied when it said the Rasputin was going to be getting veteran pilots. Looking back at the rest of the battle she could see that the other squadron's were not doing as well as hers. Even as she was watching another Starfury was destroyed, putting another dent in their already low numbers. Spotting another group of fighters breaking away towards the station she quickly sprang back into action and sent out her orders. "Alpha One take Two to Six and get around the other side of those ship. Everyone else with me. As soon as you are in position we take them from both sides at once." Alpha one waggled his wings in an agreement as shot off toward the enemy fighters, half the squadron in toe. The rest followed Susan as she manoeuvred into position alongside the enemy. Fortunately for the Earth pilots their fighters were faster then the enemy, although both were about equal when it came to manoeuvrability and firepower. Once again the enemy fighters spotted them before they were close enough to make the kill and split off to engage Susan's squadron. This time the battle was shorter, everyone knowing to aim only for the engines, and avoid the rest of the fighter to assure a quick kill. A few seconds later and nine enemy fighters were little more than scattered dust and flame. Susan, who had claimed one of the kills spun her fighter completely around and gently slowed it down so she could take a good look at the battle that was still raging. The Earthforce fighters were still outnumbered and despite the large number her squadron had just polished off the enemy still seemed countless. The gigantic shape of one of the Omega destroyers hung over the battle, two of it's heavy cannons occasionally firing into the fray, hoping to hit one of the enemy vessels. They seemed to be manoeuvrable enough to skip out of the way in time though, so the destroyer was having little effect. She glanced back over her shoulder and noticed that the wing of one of her squadron was leaking fuel, a thin train of pearl-like particles flowing out behind his ship. "Alpha Six you had better pull back," she ordered. "I am alright Captain," he responded. "It is just a minor leak. I will dump the fuel from that wing and there won't be any danger." "You will be down an engine though. It is not worth risking your life, so head back to the barn." The pilot of Alpha Six finally agreed with her assessment of the situation and spun his fighter around heading off in the direction of the Rasputin. The rest of the squadron followed her as she flew toward the battle that was raging nearby, throwing herself and her fighters in the raging storm. Fighters of all types swam before her like a confusing, constantly changing minefield. Several times Susan had to pull her fighter up in time to avoid another vessel that shot past, dangerously close to her. It was only by some miracle that she avoided being destroyed in the first few seconds. One of her squadron, Alpha Nine, was not so lucky and collided head on with an enemy fighter. The wing of the dead pilot's thunderbolt spun off and embedded itself in the hull of another enemy vessel, then all three exploded, showering other nearby vessels with debris. Firing whenever an enemy vessel came within range of her weapons Susan picked off another two fighters without a scratch on her own vessel. At least she assumed she had destroyed them, she hadn't stuck around long enough to find out. Then finding herself alone in the middle of the dogfight for a moment she spotted the octagonal shape of an enemy fighter speeding past, heading straight towards the hulking shape of the destroyer. Quickly she spun around and tore off in pursuit. She had lost track of her squadron as soon as she had entered the main battle, and now, like every other pilot in the conflict had been left to fight for herself. The single enemy fighter was soon joined by three others, all four showing amazing coordination considering the conditions they were flying through. Susan had a lot of trouble even keeping track with them as they weaved and dived past friend and foe alike, heading straight towards the destroyer. She could see the large interceptor weapons along the destroyers hull, swivelling around to point in the direction of the enemy, but it was not until they didn't fire that she realised the destroyers targeting computers were as confused as her fighter's were and could not lock on. There was nothing to stop them then as the enemy fighters peppered the side of the destroyer with bolts of plasma, paying particular attention to one of the huge cannon mounted on the side of the destroyer's flight deck. Then an explosion tore through the destroyer and the gun, along with a fair bit of the hull, tore loose and dropped out of sight below as the wreckage tumbled towards the planet, caught in the gravity well. Susan had to dodge and weave as she tried to avoid falling chunks of burning metal, bodies, and other explosions as the front section of the destroyer continued to break up. The enemy fighters had been incredibly accurate in their firing and had cut through the hull straight into the destroyer's armoury where missiles and bombs for the thunderbolt fighter/bombers were kept. They had also managed to time the attack just right so Susan would be caught up in the debris and they would have time to swing clear. Shaking her head in frustration Susan guided her fighter clear of the wreckage and looked around for a sign of the enemy, but they had vanished. A huge chunk of plating with the name EAS Odysseus on it swept past her vision, and Susan finally knew which destroyer had join in the battle. It was little help now though, it's flight deck and main weapons little more than charred ruins. Even as she searched for the fighters responsible the Odysseus, wounded, but not yet critically damaged, was pulling out of the battle, it's four powerful engines doing their best to get it clear of any further fighting. As the destroyer slowly turned, almost on the spot, Susan spotted the enemy fighters that had been responsible for the attack. They were turning around for an another assault, this time on the Odysseus' engines and reactors. Switching extra power from the reactor to the engines and away from less important systems, like the display screen, she powered off in pursuit. Catching up with the four enemy fighters long before they came within range of the destroyer Susan blasted them with a quick burst from her cannon. One exploded immediately, while the others scattered in all directions to try and avoid her fire. She shot around in pursuit of the closest fighter and blew it out of the sky with another burst from her cannon before having to throw her own fighter into a spin as the two remaining enemies turned on her. As she did though her arm accidentally knocked the receive switch on her com panel and her head was suddenly filled with the sound of fifty other pilots, all shouting orders at the same time. Fighting to regain control of her fighter, while at the same time trying to shut down the com system which was still blaring at her Susan didn't notice that she had strayed into the path of the Vesta as the second destroyed bore down on the battle. The enemy fighters noticed though and they fled, leaving her alone as she finally righted her vessel and restored order, facing away from the Vesta with her display screen still switched off, completely unaware of the threat looming down on her. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 9, Part C Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 22:26:06 +0930 Well here is the final part of Chapter 9. I am off fishing tomorrow so you probably won't see chapter 10 until monday, unless there is really nothing on TV tomorrow night. For Disclaimers see part 1. ------------------------------------------------------------ As she scanned the space stretched out in front of her for signs of the two enemy fighters Susan felt a sudden strange feeling come over her. For a brief moment she heard someone, in fact several someones all calling to her, warning her, telling her to move. Later she would not remember if it was instinct or some other sense that saved her as she smacked her hand down on the controls, sending her fighter hurtling forward at full thrust, away from the Vesta and almost certain death. Glancing back over her shoulder Susan shivered as she realised how close she had come to dying. The Vesta had nearly ploughed straight into the back of her fighter and left bits of her body scattered all over it's bow. Instead she was still alive and the destroyer was free to blow away the two enemy fighters that she had been chasing. As their particles were splattered across space Susan tore away from the enemy fighters and the huge destroyer, heading back towards the main battle. The battle had moved since she had left, heading closer toward the station. From here she couldn't tell which ship was which, but there certainly seemed to be a lot less fighters than there were just minutes before. From her location they looked like a cloud of insects, their weapons fire visible only as brief flashes against the black background. Drawing closer she could see that most of the enemy fighters had now been destroyed, with only a few still remaining. The Starfury pilots had done their job, but looking at the floating wreckage and bodies still drifting near the station they had paid a high price. Perhaps as many as half the initial squad of a hundred pilots had been either destroyed or been forced to eject. Looking around for a new target Susan noticed a single enemy fighter far below the main dogfight. For a moment she thought it was about to attack the station from below, but then she noticed that it was heading towards the atmosphere. Scanning the battle for a moment she realised that the starfury squadrons at last had the upper hand, but no-one had yet noticed the fighter below them. Susan decided to check it out. Slipping below the battling fighters she increased her speed and dropped down towards the planet, noticing as she did that the enemy fighter was just about to enter the atmosphere, and so far did not seem to be slowing down, which meant that it was likely it was atmospheric capable. Fortunately her fighter was also designed for similar flight so she had no trouble following the enemy vessel as it dropped below the atmosphere and started heading towards something that sparked silver in the light from the distant sun. For a moment Susan though the bright sparkle must be one of the planet's small number of lakes or rivers. But then she realised that it was in fact the glittering dome of Gorbachev, Proxima second and largest city. The massive city was built after Reagan dome had been completed and so the dome was larger and it housed more people, nearly half a million in fact. It was also, like Reagan, open to any attack from fighter craft that slipped past the space defences. Although it was unlikely the enemy fighter would kill many people in an attack, the air was breathable after all and the dome large enough so that a few bolts of plasma would not cause too much damage, Susan felt it her duty to protect all the citizens of the planet. The attack on the station had all but failed, and from what she could see, as she flew underneath in pursuit of the escaping fighter, none of the enemy raiders had made it past the defensive screen of fighters. Still she wasn't about to allow this single fighter to do what all the others had failed to do. Keeping her speed dangerously high as she skimmed the upper atmosphere Susan closed on the enemy fighter. However the heat from her wingtips was threatening to turn her fighter into nothing more than a lump of molten metal so she was forced to slow down and drop lower, into the actual atmosphere of the planet. At once her fighter was buffeted by turbulence so once again she had to slow down, dropping to a more safe atmospheric speed. Fortunately the raider was having similar trouble, and was a lot lower down than her, and therefore was forced to go even slower. Unsure if he had detected her yet she pushed the nose of the thunderbolt down descending rapidly out of the sky, the sun at her back. Unfortunately for her the enemy pilot either had very good vision, or a proper scanner and it darted aside, like a minnow fleeing a larger fish, just before she was about to fire. Cursing to herself Susan dragged her fighter around in pursuit. She felt a trickle of sweat begin to run down her forehead as she wrestled with the uncooperative controls of the fighter. Ahead of her, seeming untroubled by the rough passage through the atmosphere the small enemy fighter appeared almost invisible against the reddish soil of the planet below. It could not hide from the Thunderbolt's sensors though and with an almost ferrel grin Susan increased speed and powered down through the thick atmosphere toward it, the wing tips of her fighter glowing bright red from the friction. The enemy surprised her again though, and instead of shooting out across the vast plain toward the nearest factories and dwellings it suddenly darted aside and dove down a narrow canyon, flying madly past the jagged rocks that jutted out of the canyon walls. Several times it nearly impaled itself on a particularly large piece of rock, but each time it managed to dive aside just in time. 'This pilot must be mad,' Susan thought as she moved to follow, making sure to keep her fighter above the canyon though, not wishing to follow the smaller vessel into almost certain death. With a quick flick of one hand she activated the weapon controls, preparing to fire as soon as the enemy fighter made an appearance. For a moment she though about firing down into the canyon, but it's irregular surface was confusing her controls and she couldn't get an accurate lock on the raider. The stealth effect that had hampered their sensors in the vacuum about Proxima no longer seemed to be functioning inside the planet's atmosphere, something at least that Susan was very grateful for. Then the raider reappeared, blasting it's way straight up out of the canyon, sending clouds of dust flying to the air in it's wake. Susan could only watch in amazement as the enemy vessel flew almost vertically up, a move she would have though impossible, especially in a fighter made for space. She pulled back on the joystick of the Thunderbolt, urging her own vessel upwards, although not at anywhere near such a dangerous angle. Even so she still felt the heavy force of the planet's gravity begin to crush her chest as her fighter clawed its way back up into the atmosphere. Her opponent did not seem concerned with following the laws of physics though and reaching the climax of its climb spun around and plunged straight down again, heading towards her slowly climbing fighter. The twin cannon on the front of the enemy fighter spat fire, sending bolt of super heated plasma on a course towards her vessel, but Susan saw her opponent coming and spun her vessel to one side, letting the enemy's fire impact harmlessly against the ground below. Then he was suddenly in her sights and she let loose with her own weapons, forcing the enemy vessel to drop sharply or be destroyed by the Thunderbolt's withering fire. This he did, copying her spin perfectly, before levelling out only metres above the rough surface and thundering off towards the canyon again, leaving a cloud of sand and dust flying out behind him. Her sensors confused by the dust Susan could only follow him by sight, but fortunately luck was on her side and she spotted him as he dropped down into the canyon, heading in the opposite direction this time. Flitting in and out behind rock outcropping the raider was almost impossible to target, the thunderbolt's sensors just not up to the task. They were after all made for space combat and firing missiles at stationary targets, not for trying to track a rapidly moving target that almost blended in with the ground. Still both the sensors, and Susan herself where doing their best, and somehow managed to keep track of the raider as he slid over the rim of the canyon and headed off across a rough boulder strewn plain towards a range of mountains in the distance. As she chased after the fleeing raider Susan became aware for the first time of new noises, vibrations, and feelings that just were not present when a fighter was in space. She imagined this is must have been how the first fighter pilots must have felt centuries ago as they took their tiny planes made of wood and wire up to battle against the elements. While she was in the latest model starfury, armed with three centuries of development and refinement she still felt a little of what it must have been like. In space there was no feeling, no gravity or friction like what she was experiencing now, every move she tried to make resisted by the fighter. For a brief second she wondered what the enemy pilot was feeling, or if he was feeling at all. He certainly seemed to make a better go of the conditions than her, but gradually she her flight was smoothing out as Susan began to get a feel for flying inside an atmosphere. Always in the back of her mind though there was a thought, that below her was not more vacuum, but solid ground and any mistake here was bound to be fatal. The brief dash across the plain had allow Susan to catch up with her foe, and she let off a couple of blasts from her plasma canon hoping to get lucky and sneak past the enemy pilot's almost inhuman reflexes. It was not to be though and he easily dodged her half-hearted shooting and began to lead her on a merry chase through the rough foothills. Susan followed as best she could, and to her surprise found herself drawing ever closer to the wildly flying raider. His constant weaving about made it difficult for her to get any sort of lock, so she switched off the auto targeting system, choosing instead to try and make a shot by line of sight, a difficult process in the best of times. Still ducking just out of her reach the raider swerved suddenly, away to the left, and Susan, who by now was getting a little tired with his antics, chose to follow close behind rather than play it safe and stay above him. Almost close enough to reach out and touch the raider Susan hoped she could just get one shot lined up and end this chase once and for all. Each time she thought she was close though he darted aside again and her shot was ruined. The raider didn't seem interested in trying to turn the attack back on her now, instead in trying to out run her, or better still cause her to crash into the side of a hill. Susan was surprised she hadn't already come to grief during the wild ride. Several times there had been near misses as rocky cliff faces had just swept past her wing tips, but each time she had missed the rocks and continued to stick to the raider's tail, making sure she sent a plasma bolt of two every now and then to keep him on his toes, while inside hoping that just once she would luck out and the fighter would explode into flames. Of course at this range she would probably end up being consumed in the fireball. That sudden thought leapt into her mind and she decided that perhaps it would be better if she eased off a little so allowed the raider to slowly draw ahead of her, only a little, but enough to give her some reaction time in case she did hit him or he hit something. The raider took his chance and dived lower, heading towards a rock bridge that stretched out across a canyon. Beyond the canyon was some mountains, and beyond that a vast desert leading into the night. 'Perhaps he is trying to escape into the darkness,' Susan thought as she pushed her thunderbolt down in pursuit, for the first time hearing the roar of the wind above the throbbing noise of the engines. The raider shot beneath the bridge and into the large canyon beyond, but as Susan moved to follow she had a sudden sense that something was wrong. Several times in the past when she had been in battle she had experienced something similar, an almost intuitive knowledge about what an opponent was about to do. It had saved her before and she had learned to trust it. This time it was different though and she felt an incredible sense of danger from the hole beneath the rock bridge. She sense an intense hunger and anger, all directed towards her. Reacting on her feelings she pulled the thunderbolt back, trying to avoid following the raider. Her fighter protested and a strong vibration ran through it, but eventually the nose swung up and she just scraped across the top of the bridge, the belly of her fighter just clipping a few loose rocks. Looking back she saw what else she had missed, a giant reptilian creature of some kind leaping out from beneath the rock bridge, massive claws outstretched to envelop her. Had she flown beneath the bridge she would have flown straight into it's arms. She shuddered as she watched the monstrous beast skidded to a stop, a rudimentary intelligence realising that it's prey was out of reach. She didn't know what the beast was, but had heard that the wildlife of Proxima was somewhat unique, but had never thought to see it up something like that up so close. As she turned back to follow the raider, who was still flying straight down the canyon she noticed a shudder running through her fighter as she pushed it downwards again. Her eyes flickered down to the flight computer and she noticed, with annoyance more than anything, that it was registering damage on the lower port wing. She risked a quick glance in that direction and saw immediately what the problem was, the end of the wing, including half the stabiliser wasn't there any more. Something must have torn it off, either the rocks of the creature, she was not sure which. Whatever had caused the damage it was there now and already she could notice the difference. Each turn and twist was more difficult and she was slipping behind the raider as he tore off down the canyon, seeming unconcerned by her problems. She sighed as she realised that she would need to call for help to bring him down and reached for the controls of the com system, while still keeping a close eye on the rocky landscape whizzing past outside. Her efforts to raise anyone on the fighter's com system though were meet only with a whine of static from the controls. She cursed again, realising that she was either being jammed by the raider, or the close walls of the canyon were interfering with her communications. Either way no help was going to be forthcoming any time soon. Looking up again she noticed that somehow she had managed to gain on the enemy fighter. Either he was slowing or somehow she had sped up without noticing. She glanced down at the speed indicator and it was still roughly the same as it had been before, so he must have slowed. Why Susan didn't know, but it did give her another chance, even with her damaged fighter. Ahead was the canyon turned so the raider was either going to have to turn with it, or choose to leave the canyon. Susan weighed up his current strategy and decided that he would probably stay inside the canyon. So she aimed her cannon slightly ahead of him, hoping that her strategy was correct. It was and as the enemy fighter turned she fired. It was so close for a moment Susan thought she had hit him, instead of just the rocky cliff behind him. She missed though and although the raider's ship was showered with chucks of rock it survived and continued on. Susan whacked herself on the leg in annoyance and still angry with herself increased the power to her engines. Even with the damaged stabiliser the fighter swung around the bend with little trouble and Susan readied herself to fire. What confronted her though made her blood run cold. Ahead was the enemy fighter flying almost straight up, just above the surface of a massive cliff face. She knew there was little she could do, the thunderbolt would never be able to pull up in time, and for a moment almost resigned herself to death. Her mind kept working though and it noticed the dark shape of a large cave somewhere down below. While her eyes where still taking in this new development her brain had already decided and as a final, last step of desperation she pushed the fighter's nose down and dived into the cave, praying like anything that it was bigger than it looked on the inside, or this brief escape would not last long. As she entered the cave entrance another hand instinctively flicked on the external spotlights, meant for night flying and landing. They showed up a clean passage leading into the mountain, with no obstructions. She had barely enough time to count her blessings though before the tunnel vanished and she found herself in a massive cavern, cut into the heart of the mountain. Her heart leaping with hope that she had discovered a way to stay alive Susan turned her fighter in a wide circle, following the wall as she turned around toward the entrance again. As she did so she noticed that something on the floor was moving, just out of the range of her lights. Then it moved into the light, leaping high towards her and she saw it was another of the creatures like the one she had seen outside. She was travelling too fast for it though and it's claws fell short and she escaped down the tunnel. Not looking back in case the beast was following her she fled down the tunnel and back out into the daylight. Then, after switching her lights off she climbed out of the canyon and looked around for the tricky raider that had nearly led her to her death. In this distance she spotted him, making his way across the sands towards the glittering city. For a moment she though about giving up the chase, but there were people in that city that were depending on her so she set out once more in pursuit. This time though she chose to stay as close to the ground as her damaged fighter would allow. The terrain following sensors helped, but even they could not guarantee that she wouldn't suddenly come across a particularly tall dune and end her days as scattered wreckage burning in the sands of Proxima. Fortunately for her the sands dunes appeared reasonably regular and she had no trouble staying in the air. She was also gaining on the enemy fighter, who gave no indication this time that he had spotted her. Keeping low she soon found herself almost beneath him, the raider still flying as straight as an arrow towards the approaching city. She flicker her hands over the weapon controls and prepared to fire, watching for any more from the enemy pilot. There were none though and Susan pressed the fire control, sending bolts of plasma from her cannon shooting towards the enemy ship. At once the enemy vessel flicked up, trying to avoid her fire. He was too late though and a single shard of plasma burst through his ship, almost dead centre in the middle of the fighter's hull. As the enemy fighter straightened up again Susan almost though that he was still alive, just as the fighter she attacked in space had continued going after she had blasted him. Then she noticed the glow from the engines had vanished and the fighter now appeared to just be gliding through the atmosphere, it's flat shape all that was keeping it aloft for the moment. It didn't last long though and seconds later it struck the ground, sending clouds of dust into the air and blocking Susan's vision. The dust against her hull sounding like pounding rain for a second, but then she was through it and turning in a wide circle to look at the crash site. The enemy fighter had come down almost intact, although it had slid across the ground for nearly a hundred metres before coming to rest on the side of one of the sand dunes. A feeling of exhilaration after finally bringing him to ground rand through she, as well as relief at still being alive after all the close scrapes she had just been through. She thought of the massive claws reaching for her in the cave and shuddered again, hoping that as long as she lived she never came across that creature again. She circled the crash site for a few more times, hoping to see the enemy pilot, or at least learn what race he was. He did not emerge from his smashed fighter though so Susan decided that he must either be dead or unconscious. Glancing down at the fuel indicated she realised that she really didn't have time to find out which. It was low, nearly empty, the flight across Proxima costing a lot more fuel than a similar length trip in a vacuum. After one last look at the enemy fighter she turned away from the crash site and with the setting sun at her back she sped towards the city, knowing that somewhere nearby there would be a place to land. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 10, part A Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 13:52:07 +1030 Well after a nice day down on the beach yesterday I did just manage to get enough time to finish the first part of chapter 10 on the train into work this morning. The next part will along shortly, possible tomorrow. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ Spoilers: There are spoilers for all 5 season of Babylon 5 in this story, so consider yourself well and truely warned. Disclaimers: The various B5 characters that I use in my story remain the property of Waner Brothers, TNT, JMS, and whoever else wants to claim them. The rest however are the proporty of my imagination and you can do what you will with them. ------------------------------------------------------------ Reunion - Part 10 By Sel Vecantie ------------------------------------------------------------ The sun was just setting in the west as Susan's fighter rumbled across the skies above Gorbachev Dome. It was the second sunset she had seen this day, having travelled nearly a third of the way around the large planet during three hours since she had taken off from the fortress. She was actually been rather surprised to find that so little time had passed. The battle in space followed by the long chase after the enemy fighter had seemed to take forever. In fact Susan would not have been at all surprised if the sunset she was seeing was not in fact the next day's. Slowing the fighter down until is was going just fast enough to keep in the air she scanned the ground for a landing site. Fortunately, especially considering her fuel situation, it did not take long to find one and she soon spotted a line of shuttle near a large warehouse. Realising that this must be the warehouse where all the equipment and raw materials for the new station were stored, at least those that were being kept on the planet, she slowly made her way across the top of the dome towards it. Below her she could see the even rows of huge apartment buildings and the small cluster of shops and government buildings near the centre of the dome. Everything look a lot more crowded than the buildings of Reagan Dome had, but then Gorbachev was the city where most of the mining and manufacture took place, while the smaller city of Reagan was the capital and financial centre of the Proxima system. She didn't have time right now for sightseeing though so turned the fighter away from the dome and circled around towards the shuttles. After making sure there were no obstructions she lower the landing struts and, using the small thrusters mounted below the fighter, gently bought it in for an almost perfect landing, although the clouds of red dust sent into the air were a little concerning. Susan worried for a moment they were going to get sucked into the engines. Instead the dust was blown away from the fighter and soon settled to the ground, pulled down by Proxima's gravity, which was slightly higher than the standard. With great relief she flicked the switches that powered down the reactors and computers and as soon as that was done undid the straps that held her in places. Hers legs and chest burned with a brief burst of pain as the blood flow was restored. Normally she wouldn't tighten the straps so tight, but in an unfamiliar craft she had wanted all the protection she could get. Susan rubbed her legs to restore circulation and as soon as she was assured that she could walk without any trouble climbed out of the cockpit and down the ladder built into the side of the fighter. While the fighter was in flight it was retracted away into a compartment alongside the cockpit, but as soon as she had landed Susan had lowered it. Only one other person was visible on the silent landing field as Susan climbed down onto the red sands. He quickly hurried over towards her and she could see he was an old mechanic, at least that was what she assumed by his greasy blue uniform, and rag hanging out of a pocket. Susan unclipped her heavy helmet and tucked it under on arm as she waited for him to arrive. "Good afternoon I am Captain Ivanova of the EAS Rasputin," she said before the mechanic could even get in a complaint about not being allowed to land here. She could see him about to open his mouth, probably upset about some rule or something, and wasn't about to waste any more time that necessary. "The Ivanova," he asked, awe creeping into his voice. "The one that was on the vids all the time during the war." "That was me," she admitted. She didn't really want to use her reputation, but wanted to get back to Reagan Dome and find out what was going on as soon as she could. Not to mention let the Rasputin know she was still alive, knowing Commander Petrov he was probably worried sick. The mechanic stuck out his hand for Susan to shake, and after a cautious glance at the coolant stains on it she took up his offer, if only very briefly. "Well it is certainly a pleasure to meet you Captain," he said enthusiastically. "Why we all used to watch you every day back when Clark's goons were trying to break us. Just wait until I tell Bert about this, he will be so jealous." "I sure he will," Susan said, hiding a groan. "Right now though I am looking for a shuttle to Reagan dome. Is there one leaving soon." "Oh no Captain, no shuttles. It is too dangerous after dark to be out and about. Everyone sticks to the domes once the sun goes down, unless they have a crawler of course." "Is that because of those big lizards in the mountains," she asked. The mechanic looked a little confused for a second before he realised what she was talking about. "You mean the Hymir?" "Well I don't know what it is called, all I know it looks like a big lizard with big claws Really big claws." "That sound's like the Hymir," the mechanic said with a smile. "You don't have to worry about them, they are harmless enough if you keep out of their way. I was talking about the tooth worms." "Worms?" Susan said. "No wait, I don't want to know. Is there any way I can get back to Reagan then?" The mechanic thought for a moment. "Well you could take the train, that runs all thirty six hours of the day and night. They leave about every ten minutes from the station in the dome. I would have to run you up to the dome though, you don't want to walk there when it is getting dark. After all the worms will be coming out soon. In fact if I were you I would get inside." He pointed across the landing strip to a low hanger of some kind, where a shuttle could be seen sitting half in and half out of the large doors. "You will safe enough inside there," he told her. "We electrify the entrances, and those worms can't burrow through solid concrete." Susan was now even more sure that she didn't want to know and hurried across the landing strip towards the well lit hanger, the mechanic close behind her. As she enter the hanger she noticed a small indentation cut parallel to the entrance. The mechanic noticed her interest and said, "yep that's where we keep the wire. We run a current through it at a certain frequency and it keeps the worms away. Otherwise you and me would be nothing but bare bones by morning, those little pests would eat anything. They don't seem to harm metal or anything that isn't living though, so your fighter will be ok." "How soon can you get me to the dome?" Susan asked him, deciding that the sooner she got back to her ship the better. There certainly hadn't been any mention of flesh eating worms or huge lizards in the travel brochure she had read about Proxima a couple of years ago. Now that she knew what the place was like she decided that she hadn't minded just staying on Babylon 5 after all. Proxima was beginning to sound a little too dangerous for her tastes. "Well I will have to go and warm up the old crawler. I don't take it out much so it is a bit rusty. But once I get it started it will go like blazes. You just sit here by the heater and I will go and get the card." Susan nodded and sat down on an old stool next to a heater that was even older. Realising she was still in her flight suit she unclipped the gloves and air-tight plastic sleeves that had slipped over her boots. After putting them down on a small table with the helmet she pulled off the rest of the suit, struggling for several seconds as she tried to get her arms free. She was immediately glad that she was near a heater, old thought it might be. During the flight she hadn't realised how much she had been sweating, and now in the cold air that came with the fall of night on Proxima she was left shivering. The heater soon dried her out though, and warmed her cold body so by the time the mechanic returned with the card necessary to unlock and start the crawler she was almost comfortable. No heater could replace the sense of security of the huge domed city though and when the mechanic asked if she was ready to go Susan needed no encouragement. Following him across to the other side of the hanger, past the partially disassembled shuttle she climbed into the cabin of a rusty crawler, noting with some pleasure that the heater in the main cabin still worked, even if the rest of the vehicle was more than a little suspect. It started without any problems though, and Susan was soon off on her way back to civilisation, and away from whatever other monsters lay hidden out in the wilderness. ------------------------------------------------------------ Easing himself back into the command chair on the bridge Gregor Petrov stretched out and let himself relax. It had been a busy few hours, and he had been in the thick of it. Fortunately the Captain had survived her brief stint as a fighter pilot, and despite his misgivings she had somehow managed to wind up a hero once again, being the only one who had been able to bring down one of the enemy fighters intact. Petrov shook his head and could not help but wonder if perhaps somewhere out there was someone or something that kept watch over Ivanova, certainly she seemed to have lived through events and wars that, from the stories he had heard, would make most people never want to leave Earth again. Picking up his hot cup of coffee Petrov took a sip, enjoying the warm feeling it left in his stomach. With the battle over for now he could look forward to a nice quiet afternoon, well at least that was the plan. The Captain was still down on Proxima, and with any luck he wouldn't have to worry about her for the rest of the afternoon. For a moment he wish he could have been assigned a nice by the book kind of Captain, one that never took any risks and sent their subordinates to do the hard work instead of insisting on leaping into the action themselves. Instead he had Ivanova, who had shown by her actions over the past week that she had no intention of going by the book and staying on the bridge while sending her crew out to do the kinds of things she seemed to be insisting on doing herself at the moment. It didn't look likely that she was going to have a sudden change of heart anytime soon either, and so he was going to be left to worry about her constantly, after all it was every good executive officers job to try and keep the captain of his ship alive. Well actually he wasn't sure if things worked that way on Centauri vessels, they did have some odd customs and from what he had heard assassination was often the best way of advancement. Still it could have been worse, at least Ivanova was better looking than some of the captains he had served under, Captain Vandenbroek of the Horus was one name that immediately sprung to mind. He was retired now, but when Petrov had served under him it was said that he could shatter a mirror at a hundred paces. Still he had been a good soldier, and one of the few to bring his ship through the Earth/Minbari war intact. "Commander," a voice called, snatching his thoughts back to the present. Petrov sighed and put down his coffee cup, looking over at the crewman who had spoken. "What is it?" he asked, a little irritably "Sorry to disturb you sir," the young officer, an ensign Corbett if Petrov remembered correctly. "Sensors have just reported a jump point forming near Proxima I." The Commander leapt to his feet, suddenly all business. "Where?' he asked. "Put it on the display." The crewman quickly complied and the holographic screen which covered the entire ceiling of the bridge, and had been showing the now peaceful upper atmosphere of Proxima III, quickly went black before bringing up a long range scan of Proxima I. This image of course was little more than a computer representation of what was out there and lacked the detail of the normal display, but it was still possible to see the swirling shape of a jump point, and a large bulky vessel heading towards it. "Unknown vessel is entering jump point Sir," came the report from the sensor operator. "Silhouette matches that of a JMC short range bulk tanker." Watching closely as the computer displayed a wire-frame representation of the cumbersome vessel in question. "What is it doing so far off the normal routes," he murmured to himself. "Ensign," he said turning back to the sensor operator. "Log that vessel as suspicious and put out an alert on its ident code. Whoever the captain of that ship is he has some serious questions to answer, not the least being why his ship has jump engines, they most certainly are not standard equipment." "I am sorry sir, but the computer was unable to record vessel's ident code. It does not appear to have one." "Very strange," Petrov mused. "Alright then log its description, time of jump and any other details your sensors collected. I want a report in my hands later today so I have something to tell the captain." "Yes Sir," was the swift reply. Petrov sat back down in the command chair, but this time did not have time for coffee. There was something about the sudden appearance, or rather disappearance of this vessel that just didn't ring true to him, especially after those fighters appeared out of nowhere. A suspicion was beginning to form in his mind, and the more he thought about it the less he liked it. ------------------------------------------------------------ The underground train sped along it's dark tunnel, with only the lights inside the cabin to give Susan any idea of where she was going. "This was the quickest way to Reagan," the official back at Gorbachev Dome had said. They had even given her a car all to herself, but still she would have preferred to take a shuttle, or even her fighter. Still it was better than the monorails on Mars. There you could see what was going to kill you, here you were in total ignorance until the moment of impact. Susan knew she was probably being paranoid, that few accidents ever happened on the monorails, that they were safer than space travel. She had heard all the arguments, but still she didn't like them, especially the way they were controlled almost entirely by computer, with no human drivers at all. In her opinion any safe form of transport should have a living pilot. No machine, no matter how intelligent, could react as quickly to problems as a live pilot. The trip was only short though, the super fast magnetic levitation system pushing the train along at speeds nearly three times faster than the monorails on Mars, despite their similar propulsion systems. A brief flash as the row of lights that signified the end of the tunnel sped past and the train began to slow, sliding gently to a stop at the main station in Reagan. She had left Gorbachev soon after sunset, but here in Reagan it was late in the night, the air cold and damp against her skin as she left the car. Both dome lacked the atmospheric controls common on Mars, deciding they were a waste of resources on a planet where the air was breathable. Susan imagined this was why she saw few people near the station, in fact only one man standing quietly near the exit, dressing in a uniform of some sort. It soon became obvious that it was her the guard, she recognised the uniform now, was waiting for her. As soon as she walked off the train he started towards her, a package of some kind tucked under his arm. With some surprise, but also a momentary flash of joy, she accepted her jacket from the guard. She had left it behind with Major Logan, so that meant that the Major, most likely the other Earthforce officers, and probably President Mitrovic as well, were all back in the capital. After waiting while she zipped up her jacket, which provided a little more protection against the cold than the thin white shirt, which was all she usually wore underneath, the guard guided her towards a small ground car which sat quietly outside the station, it's door open to receive her. She took her seat and waited as the guard shut the door for her, and then took his own seat opposite. At once the cold air outside vanished and was replaced by the warm, heated interior of the vehicle. Speeding silently away from the station, magnetically levitated just above the ground to ensure a smooth, frictionless ride, the car owed little to is ancient ancestors, and more to the trains and monorails that were common across Earth and it's colonies. Given the size of the dome, and the fact that most buildings were within easy walking distance of each other Susan quickly realised that the car was probably the president's own personal transport. Certainly during the quick trip through the city to the government buildings there was no sign of any similar vehicles. The road they travelled down had obviously been prepared for similar vehicles though. Government house was a tall, almost Gothic structure built around the central strut for the dome, which rose high above the centre of the building. For a moment it reminded her of Psi-Corp headquarters in Earthdome, which of course she had seen from the other side of the street, no willing to go anywhere near that den of telepaths. It had the same tall columns though, and the statues. Here though most of the statues appeared to be smashed, which was probably a legacy of the civil war. No other scars had been visible in the city though, but of course it was night and despite the bright street lights it was impossible to see everything. Pulling up outside the long flight of stairs leading up into the government building the guard opened the doors of the car, and then after she had exited led her up the stairs, past a guard post and into a large hall. There Susan was met by the aide from the party. She couldn't remember being told his name, so instead just waved off his greetings and asked to be taken to see the president. The aide agreed without complaint and took her through a maze of corridors, up another flight of stairs and finally through two huge doors, carved with scenes which reminded her strongly of the desert she had flown over earlier, and into an equally large hall. At the far end of the hall a small collection of Earthforce officers were gathered around a desk, that was easily dwarfed by the size of the room it was in. Sitting in a chair behind the desk was President Mitrovic, and seeing Susan entering he waved for her to come over and join the rest of the Earthforce personal. "Captain," he said as soon as she was within earshot. "It is good to see you are still alive. I was very concerned when you ran off like that, and so was Captain James here." Susan turned as nodded in the direction of the Opollo's captain. He nodded back respectfully, and for the moment didn't it didn't seem like he wanted to bite her head off. "I did what I thought was necessary Mr. President," Susan replied. "And the results as I am sure you will agree were worth the risk." "I am not sure I can agree with that Captain," Mitrovic said shaking his head. He also didn't seem upset with her though, more worried that anything. "Still your risk did manage to bring down one of those raiders intact, which is more than anyone else managed." "You mean no other enemy fighter survived?" Susan asked, a little surprised. The President shook his head. "I am afraid not. They fought to the last man, and despite repeated calls for them to surrender there was no response. None of the enemy fighters were able to be captured either, they all had some sort of self destruct system that destroyed their vessel if it was too damaged to continue." Susan hadn't noticed anything like that during the battle, but had no reason to doubt the President's words. "They don't sound like raiders then to me," she said. "Whenever I have fought raiders before they usually run at the first sign of any real resistance. The actions you describe to me sound more like the actions of fanatics." "Perhaps," Captain James said, speaking up for the first time she arrived. "We also haven't recovered any bodies, or in fact even any traces of bodies." "You don't suspect drone fighters do you captain?" Susan asked with a frown. He shrugged. "It is possible. I have had teams from the station scanning the area where most of the fighting went on for two hours now, and so far no trace of any organic life, except from our own ships. We have been checking the DNA of each body we find and so far they all match pilots we lost." "That fighter I fought on the surface was no drone fighter," Susan said firmly. "Not the way it laid that trap for me in the canyon, that took real intelligence, and I refuse to believe that anyone could make a computer smart enough to fly the way that fighter pilot did." "Well we will know soon enough," the President said, breaking into the two captain's discussion. "I have dispatched a couple of crawlers from Gorbachev. They are going to bring in the fighter you bought down over the desert. Once our technicians get to work on it then we will soon know what makes it tick." "I guess we will," Susan replied, leaning against the desk to rest her tired legs. "If it is still out there. Those creatures you have out in the desert might decide that it will taste good, they nearly took a bite out of my fighter, and I was in the air at the time." The President looked confused for a moment, just like the mechanic earlier, before understanding flooded to his face. "Oh you mean the Hymir. They are harmless enough, as long as you stay away from them. Most of the time they just eat rocks for food." "Well this one tried to eat me, in fact there were two of them, and neither one showed much respect." "They usually don't Captain," the President agreed with a nervous laugh. "We just keep away from their lairs and they leave us alone." "Well you can be very certain I will be leaving these Hymir well alone for the rest of my stay," Susan said firmly. "In fact if I never see another Hymir again in my life I won't be sorry." "Well at least you survived the encounter Captain," the President told her. "Many of the early settlers were not so lucky." He then paused and shuffled some papers around his desk before continuing. "Anyway in answer to your question I don't think the Hymir will do anything to the crashed fighter, they rarely leave their mountain lairs." Susan nodded. Then her mind turned to other matters and her features took on a grimmer tone. "Do you know yet how many of our pilots were killed?" she asked, changing the topic back to more important matters. "Captain James?" the President looked expectantly at the Opollo's captain. He consulted a data pad he had tucked under his arm. "We lost twelve fighters from the Vesta, two from the Odysseus, nine from the Opollo and five from the Rasputin. Also the Odysseus lost another thirty five crew members when they blew up her flight deck. They have managed to put out the fires but it will be laid up for a couple of weeks at the very least while repairs are conducted." Susan shook her head sadly, she hadn't expected this many deaths. "And the enemy?" she asked. "All one hundred and thirty of their fighters were destroyed, with the exception of the one you downed of course." "Well that is some good news at least," Susan said, although he face didn't show any pleasure at the report. "Do we have any idea at all where they come from?" One of the other Captains, Waterman from the Odysseus she remembered him as, spoke up to answer her question. "We believe either a base or a carrier ship of some kind. Your executive officer Commander Petrov reported a JMC tanker that jumper out of the system from near Proxima I just a few minutes before you got here. I think the fighters came from the direction of Proxima I." Waterman turned and look at James for confirmation. "That is correct," the Opollo's captain confirmed. "They definitely came from the direction of the inner planet, and given that place is little more than a burning hell I can't think of any good reason a big tanker like the one Commander Petrov described would be hanging around there." "I didn't know they had jump engines," Susan said. "I thought they were mainly confined to jump gates and in system travel, just like most of the rest of the civilian transport." "They are not supposed to," Waterman agreed. "That's what makes this craft suspicious. After all if the vessel had one modification then why not more. Commander Petrov also said that it had no ident code, which makes it even more suspicious. I think someone must have done some pretty serious modifications to the tanker." "Would it make a good carrier though," Captain Maruichi of the Vesta asked. Waterman nodded. "I think it would. If you removed the storage tank and kept the basic hull, maybe strengthened it a little with some armour plating. Those tankers are fairly big and they could store a lot of fighters inside each one. Of course they would be a clumsy as an ox, and their reactors are not big enough to handle any sort of weapons. But apart from that, if all you wanted was a large carrier then that sort of ship would serve." Susan nodded, agreeing with Waterman's explanation. "Any reason why we didn't pick it up?" she asked. "Those tankers should stand out from half a system away, they have enough of a signature to register on any one of our ship's sensors." The other captains didn't have an answer for that question. "Perhaps some sort of stealth system," was Waterman's best guess. "Like the one the Minbari used during the war. After all those fighters had something like that according to the reports, which is probably why we lost so many of our own." James and Maruichi nodded in agreement, and Susan also couldn't help but think that was the most logical explanation. After all the fighters had definitely had some sort of stealth system, and without it they would have been little match for the powerful starfuries. With their tracking system unable to properly lock onto the enemy fighter though it had been left to the skill of each pilot to make the shot. Susan was pleased that so few of her own fighter pilots had been killed, it was a testimony to their skill that out of forty eight only five had been killed. "Well I don't think there is much more we can discover until they bring in that wrecked fighter tomorrow," President Mitrovic said with a yawn, which made Susan realised that by Proxima time it was actually close to midnight. On the Earthforce vessels, which always kept Earth time it was only late in the afternoon. She still felt tired though, especially after the battle she had been through. "Sounds like a good idea," Susan agreed. "Just one thing though before we go. I was wondering if I could have permission to send one of my own staff down to help examine the fighter, Dr. Kozlowski the Rasputin's designer." "Is he any good," the President asked sceptically. "He designed my ship," Susan told him. "And from what I have seen there is very little he doesn't know about starship design. While the Rasputin is not exactly a fighter I assume he would still probably know enough to be of some assistance. I don't believe that you have many starship designers living here on Proxima." "No we don't Captain," the President agreed, although his tone let Susan know that it was a sore point with him. Probably because of the rich rewards a shipyard like the one on Orion VII could bring to a colony. "Very well," he conceded after a moments thought. "He may assist, but our scientists will be in charge." "That sounds fair," Susan said as she hopped up off the desk. "And now, if you will excuse me. I think I shall return to my ship." She saluted the other Captains, and Colonel Kroehn who had been leaning quietly against the back wall without saying anything, a tall drink in his hand. After they returned her salute, and raised no objection to her departure she turned to leave. The voice of President Mitrovic called her attention back to the desk though, after she had only taken a couple of steps. "Oh Captain," he said. "Your staff are in the side room over there." The President pointed in the direction of a small door halfway down on the side wall, almost hidden behind a large stature of some anonymous Proxima leader. "Also I will organise a crawler to take you right to your shuttle. You want to be careful out after dark, there are some rather nasty creatures around. They are none to particular about what they eat either." Nodding her thanks she walked over to the door and opened it. Behind was a large dining room of some kind. Major Logan was sitting on one side of the table, right down the far end, all the while staring daggers at Talia was sat opposite, her eyes closed as she appeared to be meditating. Susan watched her for a moment, just enjoying the way the telepaths body moved as she breathed. She quickly pushed aside those thoughts and walked into the room, attracting the attention of the Major. Lily looked almost relieved as she leapt to her feet and hurried over to Susan's side. Glancing down the other direction of the room Susan saw the rest of the Earthforce officers who had been at the party. They were playing a game with some kind of holographic chess board, the tiny holograms fighting each other as the players made moves. On one side of the table was Dr. Kozlowski, while on the other was all the other officers, all busy handing out hints and suggestions to the lieutenant who was challenging the doctor. "Dr. Kozlowski," she called out. "Time to go, the shuttle leaves as soon as we get on board." The doctor looked up and nodded. To the cheers of the Earthforce officers he conceded the game and walked over to Susan side. "I would have won," he said confidently as he joined her. "Another ten moves at the most." Susan nodded, and had no doubt that he was telling the truth. "Sorry to take you away from your game doctor, but I have something important I need you to do tomorrow and I want you rested." Kozlowski nodded and was about to reply when he noticed Talia walked slowly over to join them. So instead he kept his mouth shut and slipped the data crystal he had been about to give Susan back into his pocket. She didn't notice, her eyes instead focused on Talia. "Well if we are all here then we should get on our way to the shuttle," Susan said, turning away from the telepath and walking briskly out of the room. The Major and Kozlowski followed closely after her, but Talia paused for a minute to allow a smile to come to her face. She glanced over at the Earthforce officers who were beginning another game. "I would watch out if I were you," she said pointing towards one of the new competitors. "He cheats." Then, making sure they saw the Psi-Corp badge pinned to her dress, she walked out of the room after the others, almost laughing at the way it was so easy to manipulate the minds of normals. Behind her the sound of an argument broke out, which only made her smile grow wider. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 10, part B Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 00:19:27 +1030 For disclaimlers see part A ------------------------------------------------------------ 05:48, February 5, 2262. The early morning desert stillness was broken suddenly by the throaty roar of powerful engines in the distance. The only member of the local wildlife around, one of the big lizards known to the people of Proxima as Gonnas, looked up from the pool of water it was drinking at. Far off, but approaching quickly it could see a three bright beams of light that cut through the darkness like a knife. Frightened the lizard scurried off to hide beneath the wonderful new home it had found during it's nightly wanderings. Then, now well hidden and safe, it poked it's stalk-like eyes out to see what new monster was coming. The monster in question turned out to be a massive beast made of similar material to it's new home. This beast though moved, and the lizard could see it's strange legs churning underneath it, throwing up sand in all directions. It came to a stop near the lizard's home, towering over it. The lizard hissed loudly in warning, but the beast did not seem to notice. Instead a mouth filled with light opened in it's side and two strange creatures climbed down, onto the sands below. The lizard watched as the first of the creatures pulled out a long, metal stick and poked it into the ground near his home. Before the lizard had a chance to wonder what these creatures where, what the stick was, or why they were here, it felt a sudden shock of pain pass through it. To stupid to run it just sat there and watched as the electric charge tore through it's body and cooked it's tiny brain. ------------------------------------------------------------ "Hey Moshi," Spike Richards called out to his partner. "Looks like we got ourselves a Gonna." He held up the slightly charred body of the lizard and waved it about happily, his mind already imagining the breakfast the lizard would make. "Great," the other prospector replied. "Toss it in the back and we can cook it up later. I will just let off one more charge to make sure there are no worms around here and we can load this wreck on the back and get back and collect our pay." Spike nodded and tossed the still smoking lizard into the back of the main cabin of the huge crawler. He and Moshi were one of the few prospectors left on Proxima, most of the mining companies now using cheap satellite technology to locate mineral deposits. Of course no matter how good a satellite was it could never find everything, which is where the prospectors came in. Unfortunately over the years the pickings had dropped off so when the government had called and asked for someone to pick up some sort of crashed ship they had jumped at the chance and sped off into the night. The two old prospectors had taken a chance and set out while it was still dark, hoping to beat the other crawlers to the site. Of course this meant that they had to deal with the planets nightlife, including the dangerous Tooth Worm, which was a nasty predator that resembled a long worm with a sharp toothed mouth at either end of it's flexible body. It sensed vibrations and a pack of them could devour a man in a few minutes. Fortunately for the other creatures of Proxima it kept to the sands where it could easily burrow through the loose material. Unfortunately for the prospector, the sandy desert east of Gorbachev Dome was where they were right now. Fortunately though Spike and Moshi had one of the new electric charge generators, as well as some good insulation on their feet and throughout their crawler. The devices let of a pulse that travelled through the sand and rock in all directions for about fifty metres, frying anything living. They were costly, but compared to the alternative a good investment. Most of the crawlers were equipped with them now, as no-one really wanted to be caught out at night an eaten alive just because they wanted to save a few credits. Another load crack sounded across the desert as Moshi set off the second charge. This time nothing was found, not even another Gonna, the rather stupid, but common lizards that were found across the planet. No-one knew exactly what they ate, but they seemed to breed like rabbits. They were good eating, although it was something of an acquired taste which had never really caught on off world. The people of Proxima though didn't mind, and the lizard was one of the few forms of real meat available on the Planet. "The area seems clear enough for now," Moshi said as he came over to stand next to the crashed fighter. Looking down and the wreckage he asked, "so what the hell do you think this is." "I don't know," Spike replied. "But by the money the President is offering for it's return it must be something important." Moshi knelt down and poked at the wreckage. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of damage," he said. "What do you think happened to the pilot?" Spike asked as he turned on the hand spotlight he alway carried hanging from his belt. "They did warn to look out for a pilot who might be roaming around here somewhere. Have you seen anyone around?" Moshi scratched his greying beard and shrugged. "I didn't see any tracks. If you ask me he is still inside, assuming there is a pilot of course. There doesn't look like there is much room." "Do you want to have a look," Spike asked, shining the light over the hull of the fighter. Spying something interesting he focused the light on that particular spot. "Look, there is a hatch, maybe we should open it up take a look." Moshi followed the beam of light and saw what his partner was pointing to. "Ok Spike," he replied. "Keep the light steady and I will see if we can't get this thing open." The prospector shuffled over to the hatch and pulled an old fashioned screwdriver out of his tool belt. "Don't tell me you are still using that old thing," Spike teased, just as he did every time Moshi insisted on using the old tool. "Could never do without it," Moshi replied, jamming the screwdriver into what looked like the clasp for the hatch and twisting it upwards. To the surprise of both of them the hatch opened smoothly and easily, exposing the interior of the fighter. Eager to discover what lay within Spike hurried forward and shone his light into the exposed cavity. Instead of the expected cockpit and controls there was a mass of electronics and wires. "Wow," Spike said in amazement. "It looks like some sort of machine. Look that there is probably some sort of fancy central computer." He pointed at the large cluster of electronic chips and circuit boards that seemed to form the heart of the machine. "Well I don't think we should mess about with it," Moshi said firmly, closing down the hatch again. "At least not if we want the full payment. You go and start up the crane, while I go and radio the city to tell them we found their ship." Spike nodded and went around to the back of the crawler, opening the panel that activated the crane. The heavy crane was usually used for lifting loads of ore to take back for testing, but it's motor could lift the small fighter just as well. Spike manoeuvred it into position above the fighter, while in the cabin Moshi switched on the com system, sending the news of their find in to Gorbachev Dome. Barely ten minutes later they were on their way back to the city, their crawler now hauling a surprisingly light fighter on the tray behind the main cabin. ------------------------------------------------------------ Susan yawned as she picked up her cup of coffee and breakfast from the dining room and headed back to her office. There Commander Petrov and Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt were waiting for her. Eying the plate on the tray she was a little suspicious of what looked like scrambled eggs. It was supposed to be made from some local lizard egg that the President had sent a shipment off up to each of the destroyers in appreciation of their efforts in defending Proxima. "Is this stuff edible?" she asked Petrov as she took a seat at her desk, placing her tray in front of her. "Very tasty actually Captain," he replied. "I thought it was anyway. I know the rest of the crew were looking around for more as well. After all it is rare that we get fresh food on a warship." Susan didn't look convinced. In her mind eggs came from chickens, not strange alien lizards, especially if they were anything like the lizards she had seen yesterday. Despite her misgiving though she still took a small bite, and to her surprise the Commander was not wrong in his judgement and the scrambled eggs were very good idea, a little peculiar in taste, but not unpleasant at all. Certainly it was better than the usual slop they served in the dining room. "Well what is on the agenda today?" Susan asked, putting down her fork for a moment. Petrov looked through a list on his data pad. "Well we have to get to work on repairing the fighters that were damaged yesterday. We also have to organise where to put the five new pilots that transferred over from the Odysseus. Their flight deck was too badly damaged to be used so the twenty fighters that survived the battle will be spread around to replace losses on other ships, including our own. Then someone needs to write letters to the families of those who died." "I will take care of that Captain," Alister Schmitt spoke up from his seat near the door. "They were my pilots after all." "Thank you Mr. Schmitt," Susan nodded in thanks. She was about to turn back to Petrov when her link beeped. "What is it," she asked. "President Mitrovic on the com from Proxima Captain," the voice at the other end replied. "Oh ok. Put him through to my office then." "Yes Captain." The screen of her computer blinked with an incoming message, which she immediately accepted. The normal display was then quickly replaced by the round face of the President, still looking as nervous and worried as he had the previous night. "Captain Ivanova," he said. "I just though you would like to know that we have found the fighter you shot down. One of the crawlers from the dome made it there early this morning and are already on their way back to Gorbachev." Susan look pleased, if a little surprised that nothing had eaten it during the night. Joe, the mechanic who had given her a lift into Gorbachev the previous night had spent the whole time informing her about the nature of the dangerous wildlife of Proxima. "Is it still intact," she asked. "Yes it is. The owners of the crawler also reported that it was a drone fighter after all." He paused for a moment, looking unsure of what to say next. "Anyway I just though you would want to know Captain," he continued. "Thank you Mr. President," Susan replied. "I will send Dr. Kozlowski down to help your technicians pull it apart. I for one are certainly looking forward to what is inside that thing." Mitrovic nodded and shut off the link from his end. Susan turned back to the two officers sitting opposite her. "Well what do you think of that?" she asked. "There is no way those things are drones," Alister said firmly. "They were fighting almost as well as our own fighters." "I would have to agree," Susan said, taking a sip of her drink before continuing. "That one I chased down over the desert certainly did not fight like a machine, and I haven't heard of any computer system that could duplicate what a fighter pilot goes through in battle yet." "Neither have I," Alister agreed. "Otherwise the other races would use robot fighters instead of risking their pilots lives. The Narn, Minbari, and even the Centauri all use live pilots. If none of them have been able to come up with a suitable system to run a fighter by now then I don't see why one should appear suddenly now." "It could be some new system," Petrov offered. "Something a new alien race has come up with." "From what I saw the ships looked Earth made," Susan said with a frown. "I guess we will have to wait and see what they come up with when they pull the fighter apart. Which reminds me I should go and tell Dr. Kozlowski that he is needed." "Do you want me to do that Captain," Petrov offered. "No I will take care of it," She replied. "Both of you have other things to work on this morning. One last thing though, make sure no-one else knows about the fighter, just in case. I know we can't rely on the civilians on Proxima to keep it quiet for long, but I would like to give Kozlowski a chance to see what he can find before the press and everyone else moves in." "Yes Captain," Petrov said, getting to his feet. "With your permission I will get back to work." Susan waved for him to depart, and Alister also followed the Commander, after a quick salute in her direction. She leaned back against her chair and picked up the plate of eggs again. Taking another forkful she decided that the lizard eggs were rather nice indeed. Dr. Kozlowski would have to wait until after breakfast. ------------------------------------------------------------ This was the first time Susan had been anywhere near Kozlowski's quarters, in fact only the third time she had been down to engineering since she had been on board the Rasputin. The still brand new warship was as clean in engineering as it was everywhere else, but somehow Dr. Kozlowski's quarters seemed to defy the trend. Even outside there were piles of junk, mainly empty crates and other packaging by the looks of it. Susan shook her head, amazed that one person could cause so much disruption, and raised her hand to knock on the door. After knocking Susan had to wait nearly a full minute for the door to open, all the while the sounds of frantic movement came from within, along with the occasional bang or crash. Eventually though the door was opened, just wide enough to allow the balding head of Nathan Kozlowski to be poked out to see who was knocking. "Captain," he said spying her standing calmly across the hallway from his door. "I didn't expect to see you down here, do come in." With that invitation the doctor opened the door wide enough to allow her entry into his quarters. She accepted and walked into something that reminded her vaguely of a cross between a storeroom and a junkyard. A large fish tank with two happy looking, if slightly overweight, goldfish was perched precariously on one rickety looking shelf, right next to what appeared to be a small mobile fusion reactor, something the doctor certainly should not have lying around his room. In the centre of all this chaos was a large wooden desk, looking quite out of place among the collection of hi-tech parts that was piled high on the shelves. Eyeing a large purple cloth, which covered several lumpy objects on the desk, with suspicion Susan waited until the doctor was seated before informing him of the reason of her visit. "As I said last night doctor I have a job for you this morning." After he nodded, remembering their brief conversation in the government building on Proxima she continued. "The authorities on Proxima have just dragged in that fighter I shot down over the desert, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going down and helping them out while they try and find out where it came from, and what makes it tick." "Not at all captain," Kozlowski replied, quickly gathering together a small pile of tools from beneath the cloth and shoving them into a large leather bag he pulled out down from one of the shelves. "Good," Susan said. "But remember you are going to be working for the Proxima authorities." "Of course," he replied, ushering Susan out of the door and shutting it behind them. "I wouldn't dream of usurping their authority." Susan nodded, assured now that he understood the situation. "Then you had better get moving. I have a shuttle being prepared at the moment. Remember to call back as soon as you find anything interesting." As soon as Susan had dismissed him the doctor headed off down the hallway towards the shuttle bay. He had only gone about ten metres though when he turned back and called out to her. "I have that information you asked for Captain. I will give it too you when I get back." Then he was gone again, hurrying off down the corridor towards the nearest lift. Susan stared after him, wondering what the hell he was talking about this time. She certainly hadn't remembered asking for any research to be done, and if she could remember it then it didn't happen. Shrugging she dismissed the whole thing as just another of Dr. Kozlowski's eccentricities, and was glad that he was going to off the ship for the next day or so. ------------------------------------------------------------ Anderson watched carefully as the doctor and two crewmen walked past him. After making sure they were not looking for him, or in his direction he slipped into his shuttle. Once there he tapped once more into the Rasputin's communications system and opened a channel to Gates Dome on Mars. As soon as the connection was made he typed in the code that bypassed the security systems on Mars and connected him directly to the apartment of Harvey Kiel. The Psi-Cop's tired face soon confronted him, and he realised that it must still be night on Mars. "Sorry to wake you Sir," Anderson apologised. "I have just finished going over the final report of the attack." "Did it go as well as the carrier captain reported?" Kiel asked, the tiredness disappearing from his face, replaced instead with intense interest. "It looks like it did Sir. My reports show twenty eight Earthforce fighters destroyed, as well as severe damage to one of the destroyers. Given that the test only used such a small force compared to what we have planned for the final weapon it was a resounding success." Kiel nodded, pleased. "That is good news, much more than we expected for a first test. Did any of our fighters survive?" "Not that I am aware of. One hundred and twenty nine were reported destroyed by my sensors, while the last one I believe crashed into the desert somewhere." "Intact?" Kiel asked his voice still calm, but even without being able to hear his thoughts Anderson knew his superior was worried. "I don't believe so sir. I haven't heard anything about a captured fighter on the reports I have read so far. I believe that it was destroyed by a Earthforce fighter that followed it down, interestingly enough it was Captain Ivanova who was flying the fighter." "Well if there is nothing left to do there I want you at A3 as soon as possible, the builders want to analyse your data as soon as possible so the software can be updated in time for the second test." "Very good sir," Anderson said. "I will give my excuses to Captain Ivanova and leave as soon as I can." He paused for a moment as he considered something. "One last thing sir, I was wondering if it would be alright to bring my assistant along. She is working out better than I thought and she may prove useful for us later on. Her telekenetic abilities are quite strong from what she has been showing me, and she could be useful as a bodyguard." Kiel considered his request for a moment before shaking his head. "No leave her on the Rasputin. The fewer people who know about this the better. Besides I am not sure if she can be trusted with all the details of the plan." "As you wish sir," Anderson said. "I will see you in a few days then." Kiel nodded and shut off the com system at his end, closing down the link. Anderson sighed, it would have been nice to keep Ms. Winters as his assistant, but Kiel was right. After all she could be a plant sent by Bester or one of the other high ranking telepaths. Whatever they had done to her in research there was now no way to scan the woman's mind, most unusual considering she was only a P5. Still Anderson smiled to himself as he realised that although he wouldn't have Ms. Winter's services Ivanova would. Given the way the Captain had reacted to her presence so far he almost wished he was sticking around to see what happened. But then he would have to miss out on the next test, and there was no way he wanted to do that, it should prove to be quite spectacular indeed. ------------------------------------------------------------ As soon as the image of his assistant had faded from the screen Harvey Kiel got to his feet and turned around, facing the other communication system in his room. As before he switched it on by pressing the organic protrusion jutting out near the bottom, waiting only moments before the hologram of his alien ally appeared in the room. "It is done?" the creature asked, again it's voice sounding more like a whisper than anything else. "It is," Kiel said with a low bow. "And it was even more successful that we could have hoped. The fighters were destroyed, but they damaged one Earthforce destroyed and destroyed many of the enemy's fighters." "We are pleased," was the reply. Kiel couldn't tell exactly what emotions the creature felt, it's head and most of it's body still covered by the same dark cloak it had worn every time he had seen it. "What will be out next move," he asked, a little impatiently. The alien did not even have to pause for thought before replying. "Come at once to the building site. We must be ready to proceed with test two as soon as possible. Bring the data from the first test so we can adjust the programs on the fighters." It is already on the way," Kiel cut in. "My assistant is bringing it to you personally as soon as he leaves Proxima." "Good," the alien replied. "You must also come soon. You must be on the weapon when we are ready to test it." Kiel nodded. "I would not want to miss that test," he said. "I will organise a shuttle to take myself any the rest of the team here on Mars to A3 as soon as possible." "That is already done," was the swift reply. "You leave in ten of your Earth hours time. Be ready then." "But..." he stuttered out. "No argument," the alien ordered, it's voice rising slightly. "Be ready to depart." "I will," Kiel said, bowing again so his ally could not see the hatred that was plainly visible in his eyes. When he looked up the alien was gone, having shut off his transmitter before Kiel could argue again. The Psi-Cop was visibly annoyed at the development, especially considering the way the alien had ordered him around. After all he had been one of President Clark's chief advisers. He had run the show, and was not some lackey to be ordered around by some alien, despite the fact that he was supposed to be the creature's ally. Slamming his hand down on the control that shut off the transmitter he hurried out of the room to pack. Ten hours was not a long time, and he did not want to leave anything behind that might be useful during the battles that were to come. The thought of the plan soon bought a smile to his face as he imagined Sheridan and his allies begging to surrender to him. In his mind he could already see the day when the entire galaxy bowed to him. Then he wouldn't need any alien allies any more, and they, like the rest of his opponents, would be suffering most tragic accidents. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 10, Part C Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 00:32:26 +1030 Well here is the last part of Chapter 10, in which we discover more about the enemy, an old friend (or is that enemy) makes a short appearance and behind the scenes much is occuring. I have been a little nasty and made some major changes to what is about to occur next chapter, mainly to make the story more exciting. For Disclaimers see Part A ------------------------------------------------------------ Alfred Bester looked out over the barren landscape of Mars from the large glass window in his office. Outwardly he looked calm, as if contemplating what he was viewing, but inside his head his mind was always busy. Right now he was scanning everyone within range of his office, not that he suspected them of anything, but rather just because he could. It was a good way of checking up on those who worked under him, making sure they were using their time for the benefit of the Corp. Already he had discovered two telepaths in a closet who certainly were not busy working in the best interests of Psi-Corp, but disciplining them could wait till later.. Right now the person he had been waiting for had just entered the outer officer. A P12 like him, she was his current aide, and together they looked after almost all of Psi-Corp's current activity on Mars. Bester felt the urgency in her mind, and recognised that she had something important to report. In the interest of saving time he sent a quick message telepathically. 'Come to my office as soon as possible Ms. Chang.' The other Psi-Cop's mind registered surprise as Bester's thoughts broke through the blocks she had painstakingly erected to prevent others scanning her. A normal telepath, even a P12 would not have been able get through so easily, but then very little Bester did was ever ordinary. Sarah Chang's surprise did not last long though, and she sent a quick response saying she was on her way, and sure enough less than a minute later the door opened and the attractive Asian woman walked into the office. As she arrived Bester took his seat behind the large wooden desk. Bester waved in the direction of the padded seat in front of his desk. 'Sit down Ms. Chang,' he ordered. She quickly complied and once she was comfortable he asked, 'what brings you here today. I was quite surprise when you sent word that you wished to meet, especially since I thought I sent you to watch the renegade Kiel.' She nodded. 'That is why I am here Sir. Kiel is gone.' Bester remained calm, but inside she could feel anger rising. 'Where?' he asked. 'I do not know Sir. He left this afternoon with several bags. I had a team sweep his apartment afterwards and they were unable to find anything, even his com system was clean.' Bester leaned back and looked straight at Sarah. She squirmed uncomfortably in his gaze, and knew that despite her rating she would not be able to stop him scanning her if he really wanted to. He didn't though and instead he just stared at her for a few minutes before replying, again telepathically. 'How did he leave? Was it a private shuttle, or a commercial transport.' 'Private shuttle Sir,' she replied. 'It was an unmarked shuttle with no registration or ident code. It landed at the Dome, he boarded and then it took off again. We were unable to track it any further however.' 'Why was that,' Bester asked, cutting off her narrative. 'I do not know. For some reason the shuttle did not show up on our scanners. Unfortunately we didn't have our own shuttle within range, so he managed to escape.' Bester thought for a moment, while Sarah sat and watched, her green eyes trained firmly on the Psi-Cop. She knew that if she tried hard enough she would just be able to hear what he was thinking, but with all the rumours she had heard she knew she didn't really want to see exactly what was going on inside his head right now. Instead she concentrated on her own thoughts, thinking about anything but her boss. Eventually Bester replied. 'What about his lieutenant, Mr. Anderson I believe his name is.' 'He left Mars several days ago, and is currently assigned to the EAS Rasputin as a military observer. He did visit Kiel several times before he left though. They spoke telepathically so we were unable to record any conversations.' Bester leant back in his chair again and looked contemplative. 'The Rasputin, that is the new Warlock destroyer under the command of Captain Ivanova isn't it?' he asked. Sarah nodded. 'Yes that is correct sir. It was commissioned only a few days ago and is currently assigned to protect the Proxima system. Mr. Anderson has been assigned to the ship during its test phase. I believe it is to examine crew reactions to the new vessel, fairly standard sort of stuff.' Bester stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the rough surface of mars for several seconds before replying. 'What is he doing there. Kiel has no operatives on Proxima, at least none that I know of. Why would his lieutenant be there?" 'I do not know Sir. Anderson took an assistant with him as well, a Ms. Winters.' Bester spun around and stared at his aide. 'Talia Winters?' he asked. 'I believe that was her full name,' Sarah replied. 'She is a P5, who was attached to research here on Mars until just recently. The telekinesis department I believe.' Bester didn't reply, but a slow smile spread across his face. A little concerned, especially seeing how rare it was to see the Psi-Cop to smile, Sarah sent a quick question into his mind. 'Would you like me to authorise an agent be sent to see what he is up to?' 'There is no need,' was Bester's telepathic reply. 'I already have an agent on board the Rasputin, and that agent has not reported anything unusual happening so far.' 'I see Sir,' Sarah said, a little annoyed at herself for not checking first. 'What is it you would like me to do then?' 'Travel back to Gates Dome and see if you can't find out what has happened to Kiel. I know that two of his agents have died in the past few days, so maybe there is an assassin after him. Find out for sure, and don't return until you have discovered his location.' 'Yes Sir,' was his aide's enthusiastic reply. As soon as she had left the room Bester returned to his contemplation. Something was definitely happening, and what's more it was right under his nose. Mars had always been Bester's domain and now the renegade Kiel was interfering with the normal running of that domain. He had been one of the few who opposed Kiel's protection order, knowing that it was unlikely that the renegade had given up his plans for ruling the Alliance. It was not that Bester didn't have the same plans, it was just that unlike Kiel he had always favoured more peaceful means, it led to less mess in the end. Still there was little that could be done about Kiel as long as he was still getting strong support from the rest of the Psi-Corp leadership. In fact he almost hoped that an assassin had killed Kiel, and by doing do conveniently swept the whole sorry affair under the table, but that would probably be too much to hope for. Making a mental note to contact his agent on the Rasputin tonight Bester resumed his seat and got back down to work, after all these days there always seemed to be work for a Psi-Cop to do. ------------------------------------------------------------ The afternoon had been slow for Susan as she had gone about the normal activities of a destroyer captain, which in her opinion seemed mainly to involve sitting around on the bridge while various members of the crew bought her decisions they probably could have made just as well themselves. Perhaps it was just the anticipation of what the technicians and scientists busy pulling apart the small fighter in a hanger near Gorbachev Dome would find, but for some reason Susan felt bored. On Babylon 5 she had never been bored, and there had been moments when she had wished for just such a day as this, time to herself when she could just sit and contemplate the universe. Unfortunately the universe she had to contemplate had grown a lot less friendly over the past few months and Susan ached for something to keep her busy. She wanted something to take her mind off the thoughts that filled her head every time that she was left alone. Instead, apart from a couple of short meetings in the morning the only important thing she had been asked to do was to look over the letters Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt had written to the families of those killed in the battle. After adding her own brief comments she had passed back the data pad and been left to wonder exactly who or what had been responsible for their deaths. There had been no reason, at least that she could see, for the raider's attack. They had achieved little damage, unless their only aim was to kill Earthforce pilots, and gained no booty from the attack. Sighing she leant back as far as her chair could go and watched the stars slowly rotate above her on the holographic display. She didn't find any answers there but at least it was relaxing, so relaxing in fact that she didn't notice the telepath Anderson until he was standing right next to her. Straightening up, although still trying to keep as comfortable as possible Susan looked over at Anderson with a frown, hoping to encourage him to leave. When he didn't move she sighed and asked, "what do you want Mr. Anderson." "I just came to inform you Captain that I am needed urgently back on Mars." "What for," she asked suspiciously, hoping that it had nothing to do with her. "There has been an accident at one of our bases," he informed her. "I am afraid a good friend of mine has been badly injured and I would like to be by her side to make sure she recovers." Susan almost felt genuine sympathy for the telepath then. Despite what she might think about the Psi-Corp she didn't actually hate telepaths. In fact recent relationships with two telepaths in particular had certainly not been ones of hatred. She had even grown to love Talia over time, and despite Lyta's involvement in what had happened to Talia she had eventually forgiven the red-headed woman. She could never like Lyta, but at least had grown to tolerate her, eventually. Susan didn't really even know Anderson, and despite the fact she still wouldn't trust him any more than other telepaths loyal to Psi-Corp she didn't hate him. "I am sorry to hear that Mr. Anderson," she said. "Will you be gone long?" "I do not know Captain," he replied. "I may be gone for several weeks." "I am sure we will miss you," Susan said, although in her heart she knew she for one would not. She mightn't hate the telepath, but that didn't mean she wanted him around any more than any other telepath. "And your assistant? Will Ms. Winters be travelling with you?" "No, there is no need for her to go as well. She will remain and continue the work I had started. After all our mission was initially to test how everyone on board the Rasputin was coping with the new vessel and that job hasn't even been started. She can carry it out just as well as I can, at least until I get back." Susan wasn't sure if she was pleased or upset about that news. Certainly she wanted to see more of Talia, but it was the old Talia she wanted, not the creature that Psi-Corp had put inside Talia's mind. Still despite what everyone else, including Talia herself had said over the years Susan still couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe there was still a part of the old Talia left, and if she walked away this time then she would definitely never see her again. She was about to reply to Anderson when the voice of the communication officer, Lieutenant Heneker, cut into their conversation. "Captain I have Dr. Kozlowski on the link for you," the lieutenant said. "Put him through," Susan said at once, her mind quickly focusing back onto the battle of yesterday, and her eagerness for news. As soon as the connection was made she asked, "what news doctor?" Kozlowski voice sounded a little faint, which probably meant he was a greater than normal distance from the link. "I have found something very interesting Captain, very interesting indeed. I think you should come and see at once." "I will be right there doctor," Susan said, closing down the link to Proxima. She turned around to make her excuses to Anderson, but the telepath had already vanished. Susan barely even noticed, instead she leapt up from her seat and left the bridge, hurrying towards the shuttle bay. ------------------------------------------------------------ It was around midday over Gorbachev Dome by the time Susan arrived. As she walked across toward the hanger where the doctor and the other technicians were supposed to be working she looked around at the warm landscape of Proxima, for the first time seeing it during the day. Everyone other time she landed it was nearing sunset, or the sun had just dipped below the horizon, so this was something of a new experience for her. During the day it was a completely different world than the night. For one thing it was a lot warmer, so much so that Susan felt herself begin to sweat, not as bad as she had in her flight suit, but nearly. The sun beat down through the thin atmosphere, which although it was thick enough to provide oxygen to the people of the colony it lacked anything in the way of moisture, and that meant no clouds for the sun to hide behind. In short it was a perfect desert climate, no rain and hot sunny days followed by cold, almost freezing nights. Right now all Susan wanted to do was get out of the sun before it cooked her. Walking quickly she crossed the short distance from her shuttle to the hanger where the crashed fighter was being examined. Two other atmospheric shuttles sat near the entrance, resting on the hard surface of the landing strip. She didn't know what material the landing strip was made of, but it certainly seemed to reflect the sunlight, making conditions even more unpleasant. Inside the hanger though it was a completely different environment. Two large fans built into the ceiling sucked away the hot air, while beneath the surface of the floor cooling units replaced the hot air with cool leaving the whole building cool and refreshing. At least that was the idea. Susan immediately noticed the difference in temperature, but she also quickly noticed the slightly sickly smell of some unknown chemical. The smell of burnt rubber, and charred electronics soon followed, all contributing to a stench that left Susan feeling a little woozy. She was not the only one effected either. Close to the door, where the smell was little more than a distance whiff carried by the air Susan could see a small collection of technicians gathered around a table playing a game of cards. For a moment Susan was about to walk over and ask them what was going on, but then she spotted the crashed fighter, it's pieces scattered across the floor of the hanger. Piles of electronics were heaped up on tables around it, and Susan could just faintly hear the sounds of two people talking from somewhere inside. On one table a burner had been set up underneath a metal container and it was from this area that the chemical smell was coming. Gritting her teeth, and nose, she strode across towards the fighter. As she drew closer she recognised the sound of Dr. Kozlowski's voice coming from somewhere inside the gutted fighter, along with the voice of another man she didn't recognise. "Dr. Kozlowski," she called out. There was no answer, but a few seconds later a blackened chunk of metal came flying out of the fighter and landed near her feet, making her jump aside in a hurry. "Dr. Kozlowski," she called again, this time much louder, and a lot more annoyed. Two heads popped up out of an access hatch in the side of the fighter. One was the bald head of the doctor, the other was hidden behind a bushy beard that hid the face almost completely. "Captain," the doctor said, seeing her waiting impatiently near the front of the fighter. "Wait there I will be right down." Then both the heads retreated back inside the hatch again. Sure enough nearly two minutes later he climbed out of the fighter's innards and walked over to where the Captain waited. Before he opened his mouth to speak though he suddenly sniffed, noticing the chemical smell in the air for the first time. Looking over at the table where the burner was set up the doctor let out a gasp and hurried over to switch off the energy to the burner, and slam a lid down on the container. After burning a finger on the hot metal container he left it alone to cool down and made his way back to Susan's side, sucking on the burnt finger. "Was that important," she asked, indicating the container, still hanging above the now silent burner. "Just an experiment," Kozlowski replied. "We wanted to see what temperature the material the hull is made of would melt at. I forgot it was running though so it has been ruined now and we will have to start all over again." "Well next time I suggest you do it outside doctor," Susan said, waving her hand in front of her face to indicate the still lingering stench that hung in the air, although it was slowly being swept away by the fans that whirred high above them. "Now what was it that was so important that you had to call me down here?" The doctor pointed towards one of the tables that were stacked high with the electronics that had been pulled out of the fighter. "Over here Captain," he said. "We managed to find out how this thing runs." He quickly led the way across to the table and pulled out a large chunk of circuit board, covered with a mass of chips, all gathered around what looked like a large data crystal. "This is the heart of the whole system," he informed her, handing the slightly burnt circuits over to Susan. "It is an AI system as we thought, but it is a lot better than anything I have ever seen before." he pointed to the large crystal. "That is a Centauri data crystal, you can tell because it is much more angular that the Minbari ones most people use. It holds the key to the whole operation." "Why is that," Susan asked. "I thought a data crystal only held data, hence the name." Kozlowski nodded. "That is partially true. They can also store programs, and all sort of other things. This one though has only data stored, it is the type of data though that is important. That crystal, at least from what I have been able to decipher so far, has been programmed with the fighting styles of over a thousand different pilots. The AI uses the information to judge enemy tactics during the battle. It really is a very ingenious system." "And this makes it fight nearly as well as a human pilot?" Susan queried, the scepticism plainly evident in her voice. The doctor didn't notice. "That is correct captain, well that and the program itself. Unfortunately most of the program was wiped when the plasma bolt from your fighter tore through the central computer. That has prevented us from deciphering most of the system, but based on what we have recovered we have managed to work out how we think it might have worked. Given time, say maybe three months or so we might even be able to recover the rest of the system and rebuild the whole fighter." "That is all very well doctor," Susan said. "But I am less concerned about how it works, and more in who it works for. Have you managed to find anything out about that? Do you know which race built it yet?" "Oh that was easy Captain," Kozlowski said with a laugh, dragging her over to another pile of ruined circuits. He pointed towards a emblem carved into one of the circuits. "There you see that?" When she nodded he continued. "That is the symbol of Mircotel. They make the electronics for almost all of Earth's ships. I recognised the system at once. It is one we were offered for the Rasputin." "Does that means the fighter was made by humans?" Susan asked. "Most definitely, although how they got their hands on this system I do not know. It was part of the Microtel bid for the warlock project and when they failed to convince us their system was suitable it was supposed to be scrapped." "Well someone obviously rescued it from the scrap heap," Susan said. "Is there any way of tell who built the rest of the fighter?" Kozlowski shook his head. "Not really Captain. I mean all the circuits are obviously Microtel make, but then so are the circuits on almost every Earthforce vessel, civilian transport, and even raider craft. In fact as far as I know the Rasputin is the first ship in a long, long time to be built using completely original circuits." "Why is that," Susan asked. "Well their system had too many flaws and bugs, and it didn't match what we wanted for the Rasputin. I had a team of programmers rescue an old twenty-first century system we found in a museum and update it to suit the ship. You must have noticed the difference between the systems on the Rasputin, and those on other ships you have served on." Susan nodded. "I did noticed that they were a lot less intuitive. The message system isn't voice controlled for example." "That right Captain," Kozlowski said, pleased. "But beneath that the computers are now running around fifty percent faster, if not more. We just couldn't risk using the system Microtel offered us with the split second energy transfer decision needed on the Warlock destroyers, otherwise you could end up not having enough energy to maintain all the necessary systems. It would take me a long time to explain all the detail, but rest assured the system we have now is at least twice as fast, and maybe ten times more efficient that the one we were originally offered." "Well I am certainly pleased to hear that doctor," Susan said turning back to look at the fighter. "Is there anything else you can tell me. The stealth system? The engines?" The doctor looked over at the fighter. "Well the stealth system is actually a jammer that effects Earthforce tracking systems. It is a fairly basic system, but it does mean that whoever built this fighter had access to Earthforce technical data. I would think that with some basic tweaking of the Starfury scanners the stealth system could be rendered useless. The engines though are another matter all together." "How so," Susan queried. "Well I have never seen anything like them. They are definitely alien, although which race I don't know. I have seen Narn, Centauri, and Minbari engines before and these are nothing like any of them. If I was asked to make a comparison with what I knew I would say it is a bit like the Minbari system, a gravitic drive of some kind is my best guess." "So you think it was built by an alien race then?" The doctor thought about this question for a moment. "No," he said finally. "I wouldn't say that. The parts look similar to those tooled by companies working on our own ships, and the material are definitely the same. However the design is certainly not human." "And their weapons?" Susan asked, noticing that the two powerful cannon that had protruded from the front of the fighter were now missing. Kozlowski led her across to another table where the two cannon were laid out side by side. One had been disassembled and it's parts lay scattered across the table. Even to Susan's untrained eye it looked faintly familiar. "Standard starfury parts," the doctor told her. "The have been modified slightly to emit a more powerful blast, but they are not a lot better than what our current fighters use." Susan thought about what she had seen for a moment before asking Kozlowski a final question. "What do you think about the fighter as a whole then doctor," she asked. "Is it a real danger. I mean we did lose a lot of our own fighters out there yesterday." Kozlowski considered her question for a few seconds, slowly tossing the central coil from the cannon from one hand to the other while he thought. "Well I don't really know a lot about fighters Captain," he finally said, and then before she could respond continued. "However given the general abilities of this craft, assuming what we have discovered is correct and there is not some hidden system that we haven't found yet, then I would say that they are dangerous only in large numbers. One on one a starfury is more manoeuvrable, has around the same amount of fire power and as you have said no AI can match a living mind." "Unfortunately whoever is making these things seems to want to use them in large numbers," Susan replied. "I am probably going to have to make a report to Earthforce over this incident, is there anything else that you can tell me?" "Only that we were extremely luck to get hold over even this damaged fighter," Kozlowski replied. "Why is that?" The doctor pointed towards a large bulky shape sitting on a table near the back of the fighter. "That is the fusion reactor," he informed her. "It was rigged with an explosive charge that was supposed to go off whenever the system detected it was too damaged to continue flying. Your shot was in just the right place to take out the central computer before it sent a signal to the explosive. Anywhere either side of where you hit it and we would only have a few pieces of wreckage to look at now." "So you mean that whoever made these fighter did not want them falling into our hands?" "That's right Captain," Kozlowski replied. Then he looked up at her with a smile on his face. "Interesting fact isn't it?" Susan nodded slowly, turning around to scan the fighter with her eyes. "Very interesting doctor," she said slowly. "Very interesting indeed." ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 11, Part A Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 09:46:39 +1030 Spoilers: There are spoilers for all 5 season of Babylon 5 in this story, so consider yourself well and truely warned. Disclaimers: The various B5 characters that I use in my story remain the property of Waner Brothers, TNT, JMS, and whoever else wants to claim them. The rest however are the proporty of my imagination and you can do what you will with them . ------------------------------------------------------------ Reunion - Part 11 By Sel Vecantie ------------------------------------------------------------ 15:25, February 11, 2262. Darren Anderson leant back against the padded pilot's seat of his shuttle and watched as the chaos of hyperspace gave way suddenly to normal space, and all it's glittering canopy of stars. The jumpgate quickly fell behind him he turned his dark painted shuttle towards a distant world, just visible on the edge of his sensors. He would have liked to have entered the system closer to his destination, but the captain of the explorer ship who had built the gate had decided otherwise and Anderson was now faced with a four hour long journey from the jumpgate to the planet. Tucking his hands behind his head Anderson whistled a popular tune while he watched the huge planet growing in his viewscreen. Twice the size of Earth and three times as dense Arisia 3 was not normally the kind of world anyone would expect life to exist on. Below, on it's hellish surface ,the gravity was twice as strong as that on Earth, the atmosphere poisonous, and the winds radioactive. Volcanic activity constantly erupted across the planet, and the powerful winds carried with them not only dangerous levels of radiation but also much of the heat from the volcanoes. However despite all this, until just a couple of years ago, a thriving mining colony had existed on the planet, using robotic mining machines to tear the rare Quantium-40 mineral out of the rock. The rare mineral was essential to space travel, especially for jumpgate construction and so it's value had been worth the expense of setting up a mining operation on such a inhospitable world. Anderson wondered if it had been worth the lives of all of those who were killed when the planet had been attacked by Kiel's allies. When this project had been first proposed, several years ago now, Kiel and the others involved had needed an out of the way base to construct their weapon. Arisia 3 was chosen, as it had it's own jumpgate, and was far enough from Earth and the other major worlds not to attract attention. Of course by then the planet was already occupied, by a small company known as Cole Mining. Kiel's allies had taken care of that though, and quickly cleansed the planet of any unwanted life. It had taken a while after that before the project could begin, as it was some time until the interest in the planet on Earth had slipped away, but now as he flew slowly towards the huge world Anderson could see the results of all the years of work. In a high orbit he could see three vast factories and their accompanying refineries, responsible for stripping the ore from the planet and also for constructing the weapons and machines they would need. Although he could not see them Anderson knew that down on the surface a horde of robot miners scoured the planet for useful ore, as well as the valuable Quantium-40. The factories were bigger than he had expected, huge by the standards of most worlds, but they were nothing to the shape that was just appearing from behind the planet. Nearly ten kilometres long the gigantic warship was the largest thing he had ever seen, larger than the explorer ships, even larger than Babylon 5, which was by far the biggest of Earth's space stations. Had it been just a warship it would have been an awesome sight, but Anderson knew that it was in fact the galaxy's largest weapon. He had heard rumours that the Vorlon's and some of other now vanished races having similar sized weapons, there were even rumours about a Vorlon planet killer that was a thousand kilometres long or more. Anderson had never seen those vessels though, so counted them little more than rumours. >From a distance it appeared roughly cylindrical, but as Anderson flew closer he could see it long hull was actually more hexagonal is shape, with six long flat sides instead of a single smooth, rounded hull. Along each of the eight kilometre long sides of the main hull were an almost uncountable number of octagonal slots, which he knew was where the fighters would rest when the ship was in transit. Of course once it was attacking the fighters would detach and attack any enemy defenders. Like a cloud of insects they would swoop down on the enemy and destroy it. One on it's own might not do much, but a thousand, or ten thousand would destroy almost anything in their path, just like the locusts they had been named after. Finally at the far end of the warship, nearly two kilometres in length itself was the massive command section. There the powerful engines were housed, including a jump engine strong enough to allow such an enormous warship access to hyperspace, as well as the reactors to power the engines, a factory to construct replacement fighters, and most important of all the main gravity generators for the weapon itself. Anderson could only look on in amazement as he imagined what a weapon that needed a barrel eight kilometres long could do. Skilfully avoiding the charred remains of the old mining colony that still floated in orbit around the planet he turned his shuttle towards the warship, knowing that Kiel probably awaited him there. As he approached two Centauri destroyers slid out from behind the vast bulk of the nearly completed weapon. While big in their own right they were dwarfed by the weapon that hung in space above them. He quickly sent the code that would reassure the beings that controlled the destroyers that he was non-hostile. Of course anyone who did not possess the correct code was automatically considered hostile and destroyed without question. The destroyers withdrew, continuing their patrol around the planet, allowing Anderson to continue on towards the shuttle bay at the rear of the weapon. As he continued he flew alongside the barrel of the huge weapon, he noted that only about half the fighters were currently in place. He knew the factories behind him were probably working as quickly as they could, pushing the slaves to breaking point and beyond in their efforts to finish the weapon, and all of it's fighters. At the moment though the weapon looked as though it still had considerable work to be down on it, appearing little more than a wire frame construction. Despite it's appearance though Anderson knew it was in fact already complete. There was little need to waste resources building a hull around six huge pylons that formed the weapons barrel, especially when it was not needed. Instead the builders had left it open to space and used the outer hull as a place to store the fighters when in flight. Anderson continued on down the hull, reaching a section that was already complete. Here the outer hull had lost it's wire frame appearance and looked more like the scaled hide of a snake or other reptile, with a layer of small fighters already attached to their sockets, ready to leap out and attack at any time. Now they had been tested and he knew what the fighters could do Anderson laughed at the thought of Earthforce trying to stop them. Chuckling softly he manoeuvred the shuttle around an asteroid that was being prepared for use in the weapon and into the shuttle bay. There was still a lot of work to do, but soon Earth, and then the rest of the galaxy would feel their power. ------------------------------------------------------------ At much the same time as Anderson was arriving at Arisia 3 Susan Ivanova found herself sitting at a dining table in the government building in Reagan Dome, trying her best not to look bored as President Mitrovic and Colonel Kroehn discussed the latest work on the new Earthforce fortress. She didn't know why she had accepted the invitation for dinner, and probably wouldn't have is she hadn't wanted to get away from the Rasputin for just a few hours. It wasn't that she didn't like her new ship, in fact the past week had been very peaceful, a little too peaceful in fact. It had been nearly a week since the raiders attacked the planet and despite their best efforts none of the technicians working on the captured fighter had discovered who might have built it. Susan had made her report to Earth Central, but so far no reply had been forthcoming, which was another worrying fact. Then of course there was Talia. The telepath had done little to make things easier, insisting on continuing the work of Anderson, which in Susan's opinion appeared to be little more than pestering the crew with constant examinations and evaluations. Susan had at least a hundred complaints on her desk already, mostly from crew members who though that the telepath was scanning them without permission. Susan thought about confronting Talia, but that would probably only make things worse. The telepath seemed be doing her best to annoy Susan whenever she could, and so far had been doing a very good job. Sighing quietly to herself Susan poked her fork at the meal in front of her. Arrayed on her plate was a collection of fresh vegetables, all neatly arranged around a small pile of some sort of reddish-grey meat. The vegetables she had eaten, as they were a rare treat from anyone used to the doing without on board a warship for weeks on end. While they certainly had vegetables and fruit on the Rasputin, it was not the same as the fresh produce the President's cooks had served up. The meat however she was less sure about. To start with it looked funny, a sort of grey colour. In Susan's opinion meat should not be grey unless there was something wrong with it. Still neither the Colonel or the President had seen anything wrong with it and so she tried a piece, finding it tasted almost as unusual as it looked. It was sort of like a cross between smoked fish and honey all at once, sweet and spicy at the same time. Susan wasn't sure if she liked it or not, so had moved it aside instead concentrated on the vegetables, so at least she knew what she was eating. "You don't like the Gonna Captain," the President asked, pushing aside his now empty plate. "It is something of a local delicacy, but a lot of people who eat it for the first time don't like it." "I was saving it until last," Susan replied with the sweetest smile she could manage. "Ah I see," Mitrovic said with a knowing nod. "I do that myself sometimes." Then spying a servant heading towards the table his attention turned to other matters. "This must be the desert coming," he said hopefully. The servant though turned out to be the president's aide. He walked over to Susan said and bent down to whisper into her ear. "I have Earth Central on the link for you Captain. An Admiral Leong I believe the officers name was." Susan nodded, and with a little relief pushed aside her meal. Turning to the President and the Colonel she said, "I am afraid I have to go gentlemen, duty calls." "Of course Captain," the President replied, his eyes focused on the large tray two servants were carrying into the room. Colonel Kroehn was busy eating so he just waved his hand in her direction, dismissing her. Susan walked away from the table, following the President's aide towards a private office attached to the dining room. The whole room, which looked large enough to hold maybe two hundred diners was in fact the President's private dining room. Like everything in the Colonial Administration building it was large and expensive, a relic of a time when the original settlers had though that Proxima's population might grow to rival that on earth. It hadn't though and the colony was left with a huge administration building and less than two million people for it to administrate. Still President Mitrovic seemed to be enjoying the building. Given the size of every other room she had entered Susan was a little surprise to find that the office she was shown to was small, and almost comfortable. After indicating the vid screen, on which flashed a message indicating an incoming call, the aide left her alone and hurried away down a statue lined hallway. Susan perched herself on the edge of a large desk that filled most of the office and turning to the screen said, "Computer accept incoming message." The Earth Alliance logo was immediately replaced with the large face of Admiral Leong, the current chief of intelligence services in Earthforce. He looked up and seeing Susan waiting said, "Ah Captain, there you are at last." "Sorry for the delay Admiral," she said. "I was having dinner with President Mitrovic." The Admiral's face darkened slightly as she mentioned the former rebel's name, but he quickly put any personal feelings aside and got down to the matter at hand. "Well you are here now, and that is all that matter. I have looked over the report that you sent in last week and there are a couple of questions I would like to ask." "Go ahead Admiral," Susan replied. "Well first, are you sure that these raiders you mention are using earth technology?" Susan nodded. "As I mentioned in my report all of the circuit boards recovered from the crashed fighter were definitely using Microtel technology. Dr. Kozlowski, who is the designer of the Warlock class destroyers was most definite that the circuit boards were the same as ones initially offer for the Warlock project, but latter turned down. He also eventually remembered the names of those who were involved in the project." The Admiral tugged a single sheet of paper out of the report. "Yes I have that information before me," he said. "The trouble is though captain, all of those on the list are no longer alive. They were killed about eighteen months ago now in an explosion on board a liner near Io. We have also checked with Microtel and they have confirmed that none of their material is missing. None of the other engineers and programmers in the company know anything about the Warlock project, which means that either these now dead programmers passed on something before they died, or your Dr. Kozlowski, who seems to be the only other person who knows anything about these circuits and systems is the one who passed on the information to whoever built the fighters." "I don't think that it possible Admiral," Susan assured him. "Dr. Kozlowski does not seem to be the person to do such a thing, besides there are options." "And what might they be Captain?" "The programmers from Microtel may have faked their own deaths, or the company itself could be involved." Leong thought this over for a minute before replying. "Well it is possible, there have been similar cases before. But there were thirty men and woman that were killed, along with a large number of other passengers. Also most of those killed had families. While it is possible I think we should discount that possibility for now. As for Microtel itself being involved, well I doubt that very much. Microtel is one of the largest megacorporations in the Alliance, they have nothing to gain by building a fleet of raider craft." Susan wasn't so sure, especially after having heard Garabaldi's account of Edgers Industries plans. While she had no love for Telepath's and Psi-Corp in particular what William Edgers had been planning was the mass enslavement of nearly ten million people, herself included. There was more to this than the Admiral thought, but knowing the way that Earthforce intelligence worked she knew the Admiral had already made up his own mind about the whole matter. "Then I have no other options to offer Admiral," she said. "Unless of course someone else had built a new system up from scratch using Microtel parts." A wide smile spread across the face of Admiral Leong. "My thoughts exactly," he said. "That is the most logical conclusion and means that we are probably dealing with a new raider craft of some kind, just like those old ships Orion colony sells. Probably some pirate thought up a good idea to attack Proxima while it was virtually undefended, not realising that a fleet of warship were stopping over before heading off on patrol." "That doesn't explain why the raiders kept of fighting after it was obvious they would lose, " Susan said cautiously. The Admiral stopped for a minute, scratched his short, steel grey hair as if thinking, and then continued. "Unless the pirates did not have as much control over their raiders as we are thinking. Perhaps once they are sent they can not return until their mission is complete." "Perhaps," Susan said, although her voice did not ooze the same confidence the Admiral's did. "Good," Leong said. "Then you agree with me." Susan was about to raise the point that she didn't really but he cut her off. "You needed worry about these raiders any more Captain. My intelligence forces were find out who is responsible before long. Your report, and the information sent in by your Dr. Kozlowski, is very thorough so there should enough for us to work with for now." "As you wish Admiral," Susan replied, slightly annoyed that Earthforce wasn't taking her report as seriously as she had wanted. She had spent an entire day into it, making sure she emphasised all the findings Kozlowski and the other technicians had discovered. But for all their effort it looked liked Earthforce was just going to forget about it. "Good that is dealt with," the Admiral replied, tossing the report to one side. "Now on to the other matter." He leaned forward towards the screen as if trying to keep their conversation secret, although seeing it was a coded link it should be as secure as was possible. "What do you know about Mr. Anderson?" "The telepath?" Susan asked, confused as to why Leong would be interested in him. "Exactly," the Admiral replied. "The telepath attached by Psi-Corp to your vessel. It appears he has gone missing." "Missing?" Susan asked in surprise. "Exactly. It seems that Psi-Corp has been unable to find him. My agents report they are quite upset about it." Susan didn't know what to say, so just stuck to what she knew. "Well I don't know much about him at all. He was only on my ship for a couple of days before he said he had to go back to Mars because of some crisis or another." The Admiral nodded. "Well he didn't arrive Captain, and now Psi-Corp is looking for him. I have someone inside the Martian division of the Corps who has told me you may be getting a visit soon, possibly from a couple of Psi-Cops looking for him. Just though I should warn you." "Thank you Admiral," Susan said. "Always glad to be of service Captain," Leong replied. "Now don't you worry about this raider problem, my agents will soon discover what is going on." "I am sure they will Admiral," Susan replied, with little conviction in her voice. Leong did not pick up on her lack of confidence though and after a couple more pleasantries shut down the link from Earthdome. Leaving the office Susan felt confliction emotions of anger and fear. She was angry with Earthforce for not taking the threat of the raiders seriously enough, after all they had nearly taken out an entire destroyer, and fear because of the possible arrival of a Psi-Cop. Unlike Babylon 5 there was few places to hide on the Rasputin, and she doubted that the Psi-Cop, whoever it was would take kindly to being asked to take sleeper drugs or anything like that. That meant that the whole time the Psi-Cop was on board she would have to be wary of being scanned, always fearful of being discovered. Shaking her head at the ways things always seemed to get worse for her, Susan headed back to the dining room. She had little stomach now for more food, and even less for conversation so resigned herself to a miserable evening of worrying, about her mess of a life, and about her ship. With the Opollo and Vesta off patrolling the borders and the Odysseus back at Io for repairs only the Rasputin stood between Proxima and any attack. If the same raiders came again, in similar numbers then they would be hard pressed to hold them off a second time. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sarah Chang was dreading the meeting she was on her way to. She had been trying to put it off all week, but at last had no choice but to admit that Harvey Kiel had well and truly disappeared. No sign had been seen of him, or any of his operatives for nearly a week and that, Sarah was sure, was not going to be pleasing news to Bester at all. Steeling herself for what was about to come she walked into the Psi-Cop's office. As before Bester waved for her to take a seat and she did so, brushing her long hair back behind her ears and trying to look calm and collected. As she sat there she was taken by a sudden thought, Bester was a short man, and she was a very tall woman. Perhaps that was why he always insisted she sit whenever she was in his office. 'I am actually just trying to ensure you are comfortable Ms. Chang.' Bester's voice suddenly echoed in her mind as the Psi-Cop turned around to face her and took a seat in his own, large chair. 'I like my guests to be comfortable. Are you comfortable Ms. Chang?' 'Yes Sir,' Sarah sent, trying not to flush with embarrassment. It did not pay to have stray thoughts around Bester. He had a tendency to pick them up without you knowing. 'What do you have to report then,' he asked, staring at her. 'Nothing I am afraid Sir,' she admitted a little guiltily. 'We have watch all the places Kiel might have been, or gone and so far he has not appeared.' Bester nodded. 'I thought as much, I even sent a team to Babylon 5 to see if he was there, but no our my Kiel appears to have dropped out of sight completely. This is a worrying development indeed, and one I will have to look into further.' 'How about his lieutenant, Mr. Anderson,' Sarah asked. 'He also has vanished. I had a report from my agent several days ago and Mr. Anderson left the Rasputin, saying he was bound for Mars. Of course as you will be aware He did not arrive, and this has me worried. It is not only Kiel or Anderson either, but at least twenty other telepath allied to them have also all vanished, all in the space of a week.' 'What is to be done then Sir,' his assistant asked. 'We must look for him and Mr. Anderson of course. They are up to something, and I do not believe that whatever it is can be good for the Corps, an especially not good for me. You must go to the last place Anderson was seen and find out more about where he has gone.' He pulled a data pad from a desk drawer and handed it over to Sarah. 'Here is all the information you will need on both my agent and his former assistant Ms. Winters.' 'You do not believe she is in on whatever Anderson and Kiel are up to?' Bester shook his head in amusement. 'No she would not betray the Corps, at least not any more. I have had a lot of experience with Ms. Winters, and it was I who sent her off to join research instead of... Well let us just say that if it had not been for me she wouldn't still be here. No she has nothing to do with whatever Kiel is doing, but may be of great assistance to you.' 'And your agent?' Sarah asked, quickly scanning the file with her eyes, while her mind still carried on the conversation with Bester. 'Can she be trusted.' 'With you life. I choose my very best undercover agent for that mission, after all that ship is very important to Earthforce, and what is important to Earthforce is important to us, at least for the moment.' 'Sir?' Sarah was a little confused by his last statement. 'Nothing you need worry about yet Ms. Chang. Right now you must see if you can find Mr. Anderson, or at the very least find out where he has gone.' Sarah nodded. 'What about Kiel Sir?'' 'I will personally take charge of the investigation here,' Bester responded. 'And I will start with these two agents of his that turned up dead on Mars recently. While of course they will not know anything those who have encountered them may know more.' 'Very good Sir, I will do the best to discover Anderson's whereabouts.' 'I am sure you will Ms. Chang,' Bester said. 'I have booked passage for you on the Visitation, a luxury liner leaving for Proxima in a few hours time. After all there is no reason why you can not travel in style.' "Thank you Sir.' Bester waved away her thanks and passed her the necessary travel documents, as well as a Psi-Corp issue PPG, and the necessary documents to allow her to carry the weapon. After all she would need everything to be correct if she was to get past the Rasputin's rather stubborn Captain. Then, her arms full Bester guided her out of the room and sent her on her way. He didn't really think that she would find anything that his agent on the Rasputin had not already, but as his assistant she would attract a lot of attention from Kiel and his followers, and hopefully while they watched her then he would be able to find out where they were hiding. Bester's first thoughts had been Babylon 5, but although there were rouges of the station, a minor problem that would be dealt with in time, no-one allied with Kiel had been discovered. Clasping his hands behind his back Bester stared out of the window, as if seeking knowledge in the dark landscape outside. He knew there was something going on, but just could quite grasp the details. Kiel was at the heart of whatever plan he had cooked up this time, as probably was his lieutenant Anderson, and the other telepaths who had vanished across Mars and Earth over the past week. The disappearance of one telepath was enough to make Bester worry, and the disappearance of over twenty, all ranked P10 or higher was a very serious problem indeed. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 11, Part B Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 00:46:10 +1030 First to two parts I am sending out tonight. This one explains a bit of the bad guys plans among other things, while the second one introduces a new and mysterious character. For disclaimers see part A ------------------------------------------------------------ 15:25, February 14, 2262. "How long until we reach the target system?" Captain Clarke asked his executive officer, who was currently strapped into the seat in beside of him. Harrison twisted around in his seat to look at his captain and replied, "only a few more minutes Boss." Clarke nodded. "Do you have any idea why Earthforce wants us to check out this place anyway?" he asked. "No more than you do Captain," Harrison replied, turning back to his calculations. "From what I heard the planet is just a burning rock, little of interest at all. Some General on Mars though wants us to check it out for some reason or another. Knowing Earthforce it is probably for a bet or something like that." "Typical," the Captain said with a snort. "Oh well I guess it beats lugging cargo around the listening posts week after week. Get ready to open a jump point." "Aye Captain." Clarke went back to fiddling with the restraining straps on his seat, and eyeing a data pad someone had left lying around gently floating around the command deck, if the two seat bridge could be called a deck. He sighed as he remembered how only a few months ago he had been a destroyer captain, with a crew of hundreds. Now here he was demoted back to flying a nearly twenty year old transport vessel around the outer systems with a crew of only five. At least the old Mako class ships were a sturdy bunch, not to mention almost undetectable on most sensors, appearing as little more than a chunk of rock. Of course to get this stealth ability the designers had been forced to strip away almost everything that sent out an electronic signature, and that included all targeting systems, active sensors, and the weapons, leaving behind little more than a shell. It was certainly not the sort of vessel Clarke had wanted to end his career in, but given the current political situation back home, and the fact he had supported President Clark he was probably lucky to even get this old vessel. He thought it a little unfair that someone like Ivanova, who had been second in command of the rebel fleet, was given a plumb posting on Earthforce's latest warship while he, loyal to Earthforce until the end, had been shipped off to the outer colonies to play delivery boy for a bunch of old listening posts along the border with the Narn Regime. Still the EAS Hammerhead was a solid enough old crate, and he could have done worse. A lot of those who had supported Clark so openly were now rotting in gaol, at least he still had a command. Scratching an annoying itch on his forearm he watched as a flare of orange light erupted against the background of red mists, the jump point into real space. No-one in the five man crew of the Hammerhead knew much about the planet they were to investigate. It was the third in the Arisia system, just inside the territory claimed by the Earth Alliance, but only marginally so. He remember something from couple of years ago now about an accident in the system, it had been all over the networks for a days. If he remembered correctly there had only been a single survivor. For a brief moment Clark wondered what had happened to him. Then as the slow transport ship entered real space he turned his attention to the job at hand. While he might be stuck out here on an old, slow, transport, he was still a good captain and knew how to run a ship. While his second in command, Lieutenant Harrison took care of navigation he was activating the Hammerhead's powerful passive sensors. While any active systems, which sent out signals in the hope of detecting objects, were removed during the ship's design, the passive systems, which detected other signals, had been upgraded several times over the years leaving the Hammerhead with a very modern system indeed. Clark hadn't expected to find anything, but to his surprise the screen lit up like a christmas tree, with multiple orbital and planet bound signals detected. "What the hell is going on here," he said, drawing Harrison's attention to the sensor screens. "What ever it is Captain I don't think we should hang around here." Clark nodded. "I agree, lets get... wait three blips coming our way. Small, possibly fighters." "Getting us out of here," Harrison almost shouted as he began pushing buttons and making calculations as quickly as he could. "We are going to have to make a run for it, lets hope this old crate still has some legs left in her." "Getting a match on those ships," the Captain said, watching as the flight computer displayed the silhouette of the unknown fighter on the screen in front of him. They were ships he had never seen before, with a thin cental body tipped with a strange gem like object, and four pylons jutting out from the rear before sweeping forward. Had the Hammerhead's computer been as up to date as the rest of Earthforce's it would have been able to identify them as Drakh fighters, instead it just flashed up UNKNOWN on the screen. "Damn," Clark said. "No match. But whatever they are they are closing fast. I have never seen anything so fast, they look almost as fast as those Whitestar vessels." "Hang on Captain," Harrison said. "About to open a jump point." His hand moved towards the button that would complete all of his frantic calculations and allow the transport to escape. It never made it though as the fast closing fighters at last came within weapons range. Three brilliant beams of energy erupted from their weapons and struck the old transport. There was a brief flash in the darkness of space and then Earthforce only had two Mako transports left, the third little more than expanding cloud of gas. The alien fighters slowed to a crawl and scanned the wreckage, but found no trace of anyone alive. The ship's captain, executive officer, and the three crewmen playing a holographic game in one of the cargo decks were now little more than dust. Satisfied the fighters spun around and headed back the way they had come. In the distance was the dark sphere of Arisia 3, and behind above it the growing armada of fighters they were being prepared for the giant warship. ------------------------------------------------------------ Susan watch the black shuttle cautiously as it came to rest in the Rasputin's shuttle bay. She didn't want to be here to greet the Psi-Cop, but soon realised that staying away would have been even more suspicious. Being this close to a Psi-Cop was certainly not the way she would have hoped to spend an afternoon. In fact she could probably think of a thousand more pleasant things she could image doing right now. Back on Babylon 5 everyone else had been as suspicious of Bester as she was, especially after the first incident involving him, but here she was alone. Some of the other command staff may not like telepaths, but they were still not going to go against Earthforce regulations. So Susan found herself standing alone in the shuttle bay, preparing to meet someone who could with a single thought ruin her entire life. It was late afternoon by the time the shuttle from Mars had arrived, and for a moment Susan had thought about claiming she was asleep and sending someone else to meet with the Psi-Cop. That would only be putting off the inevitable though, and she had to face her fears sooner or later. She could only hope this Psi-Cop was not like Bester, and obeyed the rules of the Corp, which clearly stated no illegal scans. The door of the shuttle open and a long-haired Asian woman walked down to meet her. "Captain Ivanova?" the woman asked cautiously. After Susan nodded she continued. "I am Sarah Chang, Psi-Corp rating P12. I am here to examine the recent conduct of Mr. Anderson." She held out her hand for Susan to take. Susan refused to shake hands with the Psi-Cop instead asked coldly, "and what is Mr. Anderson supposed to have done?" Sarah withdrew her hand, a little annoyed. Bester had informed her that Ivanova was bound to be a little difficult, something about her mother is she remember correctly, but she had thought the Captain would at least be civil. She opened her mind and could feel the hatred and fear being broadcast at her so strongly, that for a moment she thought the Captain was actually sending it directly into her mind. She dismissed that idea though, realising that the feelings the Captain felt for telepaths were unusually strong, and she was just not used to such powerful hatred. Realising that she hadn't reposed to the Captain's question yet Sarah hurried to answer her. "We are not sure he has done anything yet Captain," the Psi-Cop replied. "We are simply investigating his disappearance at the moment." "I do not see how we can help you out there," Susan said. "After all he is no longer on board." Sarah smiled. "I would like to investigate his quarters for clues about his destination. Then I will speak to his assistant, as well anyone else who had contact with him, yourself included." "I had nothing to do with him Ms. Chang," Susan said. "As for everyone else you can speak to them, but I don't want you conducting illegal scans on anyone, I had trouble with your kind on Babylon 5." "You mean Mr. Bester?" Sarah asked, still smiling. "He told me he knew you." Susan stared suspiciously at the telepath. "You know Bester," she asked. Sarah nodded. "Only in passing of course. I work in the same department as him on Mars. Why is there is problem with Mr. Bester." "Nothing that need concern you Ms. Chang," Susan replied firmly. "You will have my cooperation here as long as you stay within the rules. Break them I will have you thrown off my ship so fast it will make you head spin." "Understood Captain," Sarah said with a brief nod. "Now if you will excuse me I will being my investigation." Susan nodded and stood aside, allowing the telepath to continue on towards the exit of the shuttle bay. Sarah gave her another smile, one she thought was comforting, but the captain obviously only thought was condescending. 'Oh well,' she thought as she walked toward the exit. Obviously there was something upsetting the Captain, and if it involved Mr. Bester then she could probably understand what Ivanova was going through. She was the latest in a long line of assistants Bester had gone through over the years. Some had died, others disappeared, while the rest had retired, worn out after just a few months. Sarah had looked on the posting though as an opportunity. She had only just turned twenty, so for a young telepath like her to be posted such an important position was quite an honour. Perhaps Bester had sensed something in her when they had first met last year, which might explain why he had requested her, but no matter the reason she was determined to do the job well. So far her efforts had not been that successful though. The investigation of the dead telepath on Mars had drawn a complete blank. Then, during her second mission as Bester's assistant, Kiel had escaped during her watch. Still Bester had not seemed too upset, but then she had been unable to really tell what he was feeling, his blocks to strong for her to penetrate without being noticed. Sarah smiled as she thought about what Captain Ivanova has said about her not being allow to scan anyone. Obviously the Captain thought she was able to prevent her abilities from working somehow. As a P12 her telepathic abilities were so strong that it was almost impossible to block out thoughts that were directed at her. Even with the powerful blocks she raised in her mind the thoughts of normals trickled through regardless. She could block others from reading her mind but not stop herself from scanning the surface thoughts of others. Of course she was not actually scanning them, just picking up on thoughts directed at her, and their feelings. If she choose she could go deeper, but that would be breaking the laws, and something she didn't want to do yet, especially given the way the Captain obviously felt about telepaths. Sarah shuddered slightly as she imagined what might cause someone to have so much hatred for telepaths. Bester had mentioned something about Ivanova's mother, but had not gone into details. No matter what it was Sarah could not imagine hating someone so much. A sudden thought in front of her snapped her attention back to her surroundings, someone was trying to scan her! The Psi-Cop looked around quickly and her eyes soon fell on a blonde woman dressed in the green uniform of the Psi-Corp military adviser leaning casually against a large crate near the lifts. Realising that this must be Anderson's assistant she made her way across the cargo bay to greet her. "Ms. Winters?" she asked, reaching the other telepath's side. Talia looked at Sarah as if the Psi-Cop was something she had just scraped off her shoe. "And you are?" she asked, sounding a little bored. Sarah opened her mind a little to scan the other woman's mind, knowing that she could easily do so without being detected. To her surprise she couldn't get through, it was as if Talia's mind was completely blank. "I am Sarah Chang," she said at last, concerned by what she had discovered. "Attached to Psi-Corp on Mars. I have here to investigate the disappearance of your superior Mr. Anderson." "He has disappeared?" Talia said innocently. "I wondered why I hadn't seen him around." "Yes he has," Sarah replied, a frown beginning to creep across her face. "And I would like your assistance in finding out what has happened to him." "I am a little busy," Talia replied with a yawn. She looked across to where Ivanova was talking to one of the Rasputin's maintenance crews. "I have someone I want to talk to." "I am not sure Captain Ivanova wants to talk to you," Sarah said. "The feelings I picked up from her when we met were very strong. I don't think she likes telepaths that much." "I know," Talia said with a bright smile. "Well I need your assistance," Sarah said, growing a little annoyed by now. "I have to meet with someone else on this ship, and I want you there as well so I don't have to repeat my orders." "Sorry," Talia said. "I am too busy." She then turned and began to walk away. Sarah quickly recalled the password given to her by Bester and sent it into the other woman's mind. She hadn't wanted to do this, but she also needed Ms. Winter's assistance. Talia froze when the Psi-Cop's mental order pounded into her brain and she turned around slowly and walked back to Sarah's side. The Psi-Cop smiled. "Now that is decided we can continue. Are you ready to assist me now." "Yes," Talia responded, her voice sounding a little strained. "There was no need to be so insistent." "Well I need your assistance and I don't have time for any stupidity," Sarah replied. "Now lets go." Talia nodded and followed the Psi-Cop into the lift, any thoughts of rebellion forgotten. The password the Psi-Cop had sent into her mind made it impossible to disobey any command sent by the same person. With a sigh she decided to leave annoying Ivanova until later and see what it was this Psi-Cop thought was so important. The Psi-Cop exited the lift on deck 6, the main access deck that ran the whole length of the ship. To Talia surprise though they didn't head towards either engineering, or the secondary bridge, but instead down the corridor that led to the section set aside as a sickbay. "Where are we going," she asked Sarah. "We are going to meet someone," was the reply. "Who," Talia pushed. There was no reply though as the Psi-Cop stopped and waited until a short, balding man wearing a white coat and gold rimmed spectacles pushed his way past, heading along the passage they had just come down.. "What a strange mind," Sarah said after he had passed and was out of earshot. "That is Dr. Kozlowski," Talia informed her. "He is a little unusual." "I don't think I have ever seen a mind so disorganised and cluttered," the Psi-Cop said, watching the retreat back of the doctor as he turned round the corner and headed down the passage that lead towards engineering. "Sensing his thoughts is like looking into a vast pile of hay and trying to find a tiny, tiny needle. Have you scanned him before." Talia nodded. "Several times. I have had no luck either. He is constantly thinking about so many different facts and fantasies at once that it is possible to detect the reality from the false." "Most unusual," Sarah muttered to herself as she resumed walking toward the sick bay. Perhaps if she had the time later she would examine the doctor a little closer, it might make an interesting article in the weekly Psi-Corp journal. She had always wanted to have something published there, and a report on a normal who could not be scanned might just be interesting enough to get her writing into the journal's pages. She was still thinking this over when she walked into sick bay. The small collection of doctors and nurses scattered when she entered, noticing the black uniform. Sarah felt a stab of annoyance at their actions. 'Didn't they realise that she was only there to protect them, she thought angrily as her eyes swept around the room looking for Bester's agent. Seeing of no sign of the face from the file she had been given, Sarah grabbed the closet nurse. "Where is Dr. Amanda Taylor," she asked, a little harsher than she had intended. The nurse quickly pointed towards a door on the other side of the room. Sarah looked at Talia, who was still standing near the door, a look of amusement on her face. "Follow me," she said. Talia nodded and the two telepaths crossed the room and opened the door leading into the doctor's private office. "Doctor Taylor," Sarah called, seeing the doctor sitting in a chair at the far end of the laboratory they had just entered. When the woman did not answer Sarah crossed the room and put her hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Doctor Taylor," she said again. "I don't think she is going to answer you," Talia said, reaching down and spinning the doctor's chair around. "I couldn't feel her thoughts when I entered, so I knew something was wrong." Sarah was annoyed at herself for not noticing the same, but considering that she kept the walls in her mind so high that normally other telepath's thoughts were hidden from her, it was not surprising. "Damn," the Psi-Cop swore. "It looks like she is dead. Cordon off this whole section Ms. Winters, while I call the Captain." Talia nodded, and walked out into the main sick bay area. Sarah cast her eyes over the dead doctor. 'So much for Bester's agent,' she thought. There did not appear to be anything in the way of visible injuries, just a thin trickle of blood running from the doctor's nose. With a sigh she realised that no only did she have a missing renegade, but now also a dead Psi-Corp agent, Bester was not going to be happy. These thoughts on her mind she tapped her link. An anonymous voice answered her summons. "Yes," it asked. "Get me Captain Ivanova," she ordered. "And make it quick." The link beeped once again and this time the tired voice of the Captain answered, "Ivanova here." "Captain this is Sarah Chang. I need you in sick bay as soon as possible, there has been a murder." "Who?" Ivanova asked. "Your chief medical officer, Doctor Amanda Taylor." "I will be right there," was the Captain's response. The link then went dead and Sarah went back to her examination of the body. She was about to go an summon one of the other doctor's when Talia returned, dragging a slightly nervous looking man, dressed in the bluish-grey of the medical staff, behind her. The man's face went white, which must have been very difficult considering his well tanned skin, at the sight of the dead woman. "Wha... What happened," he asked. "That is what we won't you to find out doctor," Sarah informed him, stepping aside so he could look at the body. "Of course," the doctor replied, hurrying over to examine Amanda's body. He poked and prodded for a couple of minutes before looking up into Sarah's expectant eyes. "Umm I don't know. I will have to do an autopsy to be sure. There are several possibilities, but I can't tell for sure without an autopsy." Sarah nodded. "You had better begin then doctor, and I want the results sent to me as soon as possible." He nodded and rushed off to get someone to help him cart the dead doctor's body off. Sarah turned to Talia. "Well this is annoying," she said. "I was planning on having Dr. Taylor assist us in looking for Mr. Anderson, and now I have to look for her murderer, as well as Anderson." "My money is on the Captain," Talia replied, noticing that Ivanova had just arrived. "After all we all now how much she hates telepaths, or at least most telepaths." She paused and stared and Susan with a smile. "Isn't that right Captain?" "Isn't what right?" Susan asked as she entered the room, looking annoyed and shocked at the same time at seeing Amanda's dead body. "What the hell happened here." "We don't know yet Captain," Sarah replied, shooting a glare at Talia to try and keep her quiet. We just arrived to speak to Dr. Taylor, but someone it seems had already been here and we found her like this." "Well not quite like this," Talia cut in with a chuckle. "She was facing the other way when we found her." Both Ivanova and Sarah glared at her this time, Sarah annoyed at the interruption, and Susan a little shocked that anyone could find someone's death amusing. With a slight look of disgust on her face Susan turned back to look at the Psi-Cop instead. "Do you have any idea what killed her," She asked. Sarah shook her head. "Not yet," she replied. "It looks like we will have to wait until an autopsy. But I would like to begin the investigation at once." "You," Susan said, a little confused. "Wouldn't this be something best left to Major Logan, who is after all in charge of security." "I am more experienced," Sarah replied, not really wanting to tell the captain that Bester had put a Psi-Corp agent on her ship. She could already imagine what reaction that piece of news would get. "Besides this Major Logan is not a telepath, and I will be needed one way or the other, so I might as well be involved from the beginning." "Don't you have some other mission though," Susan argued, not wanting the telepath to stick around any longer than necessary. "Yes, but this may be related to my mission, and I am sure my superiors will not mind me remaining here a while longer to investigate this murder, if it is in fact a murder. It may be natural causes, although I doubt that very much." Susan reluctantly agreed, realising that she was unlikely to get rid of the Psi-Cop that easily. "Very well Ms. Chang," she said. "But until we know for sure this is murder I don't want you running around arresting anyone and everyone just on suspicion." "I will try to contain myself Captain," she said with a faint smile. Then she noticed the doctor returning with a stretcher and three nurses and motioned for everyone to stand out of the way. Then after Amanda's body had been carried off she turned back to the Captain. "The autopsy will take some time," Sarah told Susan. "So, seeing it is already quite late, I might get some rest first and begin my investigation later. Until then though I want this whole section sealed off, and everyone who is in the sick bay held for questioning." Susan nodded. "I will get Major Logan to assign some of her marines to secure everything. If you need anything else then let her know." "I think that will do for now Captain," Sarah replied. Susan nodded and hurried out of sick bay, with on final look in the direction of dead doctor. Talia watched her leave and then leaned over to Sarah. "What did I tell you," she whisper, just low enough so that the others in the room could not hear her. "There goes a guilty woman if you ask me." "I think I will wait until the autopsy is finished first," Sarah replied coldly, annoyed at the way the other woman was treating the Captain. There was probably something more here than she could see at first glance, but there was no need for Talia to treat Ivanova so badly. She would have to keep an eye on her while she was here. "As you wish," Talia said with a shrug. "If you ask me though you are wasting your time. The Captain is obviously guilty." Noticing the stares of some of the medical staff Sarah frowned and turned to Talia. "Shut up," she said bluntly. "Or I will have to do something I don't really want to." Talia was about to open her mouth again when she remember the way Sarah had controlled her down in the shuttle bay and nodded, subdued for the moment. The Psi-Cop looked pleased that Talia had finally learned her place and ordered Talia to follow her as she headed for the command deck. It would be sometime before the autopsy was complete, so that gave her some time to examine Anderson's quarters and think. She didn't really want to have to tell Bester what had occurred yet, that could wait until she was sure of what had killed his agent. Besides, as she had told the Captain, it was late, and back on Mars it would be the middle of the night. Bester could wait until tomorrow when she knew more, and he wouldn't be upset about her waking him in the middle of the night. Instead she turned her thoughts inwards, trying to determine who the killer might be. Talia was correct in thinking that the Captain was a possible suspect, but then until Sarah knew more about the Rasputin's crew so was everyone else on board. ------------------------------------------------------------ Anderson walked quickly down the wide passage that led to the command deck of the Enlightener, as Kiel was now insisting the warship be called. The command section, as well as the main weapon itself had been completed months ago, but it had not been ready to use during the civil war. That had been something of a sore point for Kiel, as it had set his plans back by nearly six months. Still now everything was nearing completion, and even without all the new destroyers President Clark had promised it was a mighty weapon. Nodding to the two soldiers who stood guard, PPGs slung casually over their shoulders, he made his way onto the bridge. It was fairly empty at the moment, with only Kiel and one of the aliens present. The rest of the crew, almost exclusively human were probably resting, except for those in the fighter control section, who were always on standby to launch the fighters in case of an attack. Of course the ancient transport that had just attempted to scout out their system was hardly what Anderson would call an attack. Kiel had been very concerned though and had made Anderson contact all their remaining contacts inside Earthdome and the Psi-Corps to see what was going on. "Well," the former Psi-Cop asked, seeing his assistant hurrying up the ramp towards the commanders seat. "Nothing," Anderson replied. "None of our agents report anything out of the ordinary. There have been no major fleet movements in the past few days, and from what they could tell the transport was not on an official mission from Earthforce." "Hmmm," Kiel murmured to himself. "It may have been just an accident then. Perhaps the transport jumped here for some other reason." A whisper from beside him attracted both the telepath's attention and they turned to look at the grey skinned alien who had spoken. The creature still wore it's dark hood, as it had done every time Kiel had met it, but now it also held a round translation device of some kind, that flashed whenever it spoke. "Humans did not send vessel?" it asked. "Not that we know of," Kiel responded. "It was Earthforce, but they didn't send it." "They will come?" the alien queried. "Soon?" Kiel looked at Anderson who shook his head. "I don't think so," the younger telepath said. "Our agents said that Admiral Leong has been put in charge of investigating the fighters. His agents are suspicious of Orion VII and Vega Colony, so are all on their way there. They know nothing of us yet so hopefully they will go missing in the jungles of Vega and never be seen again." "Good," the alien whispered. Kiel agreed with him. It was good that Earthforce knew nothing of their plans. This whole project had to be a surprise if it was to work. The alien had supplied the necessary technology to power the ship and the fighters, and the Centauri Regent had supplied plans for the weapon, which was apparently some sort of old project of the republic that they never had the money or will to complete. Now with everything in place all they needed was another week of security. Then with the Earth Alliance fleet spread across a wide area of space it would be easy for Kiel to sneak through and attack at the heart of the Alliance. The alien noticed his smile, but said nothing. It's plans were a little different than Kiel, and it did not care if his project work or failed. If it worked and Kiel conquered the alliance as he planned then he would become their slave, controlled by a Keeper as the Centauri Regent was. If it failed and Kiel died then that would serve the alien's plans just as well. The telepath was a fool, as most humans who sought power were. He could not see past his own dreams to see the truth that was right in front of him. Had the alien been capable of doing so he would have smiled. Instead he just stood and watched as the telepath strutted around the bridge like he already ruled the Earth Alliance. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 11, Part C Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 00:51:01 +1030 Well here is the final part of chapter 11. I have changed a lot of what I had originally intended to write and insert something I originally cut out of chapter 7. For those who are interested in what type of creature The Wanderer is, well lets just say he (or she, or it) is based on something Marcus said in a season 3 episode. I am not saying which one though as that would give it away. Coming soon Chapter 12 in which the enemy begins its advance across the alliance while Susan is still stuck on Proxima being hounded by Psi-Corp (or is it the other way around from now on). For disclaimer see part A ------------------------------------------------------------ Nathan Kozlowski hurried back along the corridor toward the lifts. He had been in his quarters, feeding his goldfish when he suddenly remember that he still hadn't given the Captain the information on telepathic mindwipes that she had asked for. He didn't know if it was important to her or not, but he did know that he never liked to leave anything unfinished. He came across Susan just as she was leaving the officer's dining room and heading towards her quarters. He hurried up and pushed the data crystal containing the information he had collected into her hands. "Here is the research I promised Captain," he said before rushing off again, not wanting to leave his latest experiment alone for too long in case it exploded and ruined his quarters. "What," Susan said in confusion as she looked down at the data crystal sitting in her hands. By the time she looked up again the white coated back of the doctor was just disappearing behind the rapidly closing doors of the nearest lift. Shrugging she dropped the data crystal into a pocket and headed off to her quarters, reminding herself to look at it later. Right now she needed to sleep, the events of the day leaving her tired out. After making her way though her office and into her quarters Susan pulled open the sliding doors leading into her bedroom and let herself fall forward onto her bed. It felt so comfortable and warm that she could not bring herself to get up again and remove her uniform, instead just lying there fully dressed until sleep finally claimed her. ------------------------------------------------------------ For the first time in several nights Susan's sleep was troubled by nightmares. Perhaps it was the murder of Dr. Taylor, or maybe the presence of the Psi-Cop, but whatever the cause she was soon writhing on the bed, crying out in fear at the demons that stalked her in the night. In her dream she was strapped to a chair as a wildly laughing Bester, joined by Talia, Anderson, and Chang danced around her waving large needles, just like the ones the Psi-Corp had used to inject the sleeper drugs into her mother. Her screams were suddenly cut short though as the images vanished, along with the needles and the chair. Instead she found herself standing outside her quarters, dressed in her uniform, which was rumbled as if she had fallen asleep wearing it. A whispering voice drifted to her, distant and close by all at the same time. "Come," it said. It carried with it a musical tone, so beautiful and soothing that Susan could not help but be caught up in it's song. She found herself being pulled along the corridor by the music, past the computer rooms, the lifts, and dining room and towards the bridge. She tried to resist, but her feet would no longer obey the commands of her brain. To her surprise the doors of the bridge would not open at her approach. Annoyed she raised her hand as if to touch them, and found her hand slipping straight through the metal of the door. Her body soon followed and she fell forward, dropping down through the deck as if it were made of nothing stronger than mist. Then, just as she thought she would fall all the way through the ship the voice returned. "Come," it said again. This time the song in the voice wound itself around her and lifted her back onto the bridge. "Your song is weak little one," the musical voice said. "Concentrate on my song and I will guide you." Susan looked around the bridge. She recognised the crew members on duty as those attached to the night watch. She tried to attract their attention, but for some reason they could not see her. "Who are you?" she cried in the direction she thought the strange voice had come from. A strange sense of amusement ran through her and then the voice returned. "They asked me that," is said. "Long ago when they were still young they asked me that. I tell you now what I told them then. I am The Wanderer." "The Wanderer?" Susan asked. "What is that supposed to mean." A feeling of sadness came over her. "You can not understand, you mind can not comprehend me yet. Later when your song is stronger you will learn what you seek. Now though you must follow. Follow and learn." "What are you?" Amusement rushed over her again, swamping her in it's power. "I am what I am, as you are what you are. It is impossible to explain when you are so young and can not comprehend the song. Come, follow me, I am here to aid you." Susan looked around her again, and was a little shocked to find the bridge drifting away, changing to a corridor that she recognised as the one that ran along the command deck, past all the officer's quarters. "Where are you taking me?" she asked, a little frightened. "Your past," the voice said. "A reward for your assistance." "My assistance?" Susan queried, wondered what the creature, or whatever was out there was talking about. "You were there when those who imprisoned me were forced to leave. Their songs have faded now, their presence gone, and so I am able to free part of myself, just enough to talk with you now." Susan thought and then, with a sudden rush of euphoria, realised what it was talking about. "The Vorlons! You mean the Vorlons don't you." "Names have no meaning to me, I know them only by their songs. They were strong, but vain, and thought they could imprison me for all of time. You and the silent one you think of as the Sheridan have enabled me to free part of my mind. This is your reward. Their song spoke of you, of a great war with a darkness, and I knew then that you were the one to help me." Before Susan could ask another question she found herself falling for what seemed like forever. Then the ground came up suddenly below her and she crashed into a steel deck of some sort. The music of the song was gone, but instead she heard a whispered voice in the distance, almost a chant or mantra. The new voice seemed to be repeating something over and over again, and although she was still some distance from the voice's owner Susan could feel the pain and desperation in the voice. Pulling herself back to her feet Susan looked around at her surroundings. It was dark, but not dark enough so that nothing could be seen. She appeared to be in a long corridor, lit faintly by a light source that was hidden high above her. There was no sign on another other creature, just the long corridor and the distant chant. Deciding that she might as well at least find out what was making the noise Susan set off down to corridor. It took her what seemed like hours, each step was like wading through syrup, but eventually the voice began to grow louder. As it did she realised that it was familiar, although she couldn't quite place it yet. It seemed to be repeating over and over the same line from an old nursery rhyme. "Mary had a little lamb, it fleece was white as snow," the voice said, over and over again, as seemingly unending circle. Susan continued toward it. Time passed, perhaps hours, maybe even days, but eventually Susan reached the end of the corridor. There it widened into a chamber, where a single spotlight high above shone down on a figure sitting cross-legged on the floor, a blanket drawn up tight around it's shoulders and over it's head. It was this figure that was chanting the nursery rhyme, over and over, it's voice little more than a harsh whisper, no longer recognisable as male or female. Just below the chant was another noise, a faint, regular beating sound, similar to the besting of a heart. Susan moved over to stand beside of the figure, unsure exactly what was going on and then, mainly because she could think of little else to do, she sat down in front of it. "Hello," she said. The figure did not respond, and just continued chanting, the same phrase over and over again. Susan reached up and tugged at the blanket that covered the figure, pulling it away. Below was a person she had no trouble at recognising. "Talia," she breathed. This was not the same woman who was on the Rasputin though, this Talia was so thin her ribs stood out plainly beneath her thin dress, that had once been white, but was now so covered with dirt it appeared almost black. Her blonde hair hung lifeless from her head, and her skin was so white it appeared almost translucent. Her eyes were clenched tightly shut and only her mouth was moving, continuing it's never ending chant. Susan was afraid to touch her, afraid that she would crumble to dust, so weak did she appear. "Talia," Susan called. "Can you hear me." There was no response though, and Talia continued to chant. Susan tried again, louder, but again there was no change. She looked around for something to help her, but apart from the blanket and Talia herself the chamber appeared empty. Frustrated she reached out and gripped Talia by the shoulder, only lightly in case she hurt her and called out again. This time there was a response, and Talia flinched under her touch, but as before her chant did not falter, continuing as if her life depended on it. Susan reached out again and gently gripped both of Talia's shoulder before leaning forward and calling out again, a loudly as she would dare. Talia's chanting suddenly stopped and with what seemed like extraordinary effort her eyelids opened and almost sightless eyes peered out at her. "S... Susan?" she asked weakly. Susan cupped her hand around Talia's face and looked at her lovingly. "Yes it's me," she said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "But you are dead," Talia said her eyes finally focusing on Susan's face. "She told me you she killed you. She showed me how you died at her hand." Susan's heart wrenched at that news. "No I am alive," she tried to assure Talia. "It was I who thought you were dead." Talia shook her head slowly, even that small effort seeming to exhaust her. "I hid," she whispered, her own eyes beginning to brim with tears. "I hid myself away in a secret place where she could not find me. She looked and looked but she could not find this place." "Oh Talia," Susan cried. "I am so sorry. Had I known I would have tried to get you back. I wouldn't have let them take you away from me. I would have help somehow, instead of just letting you walk away." Talia smiled, or at least tried to, and raised her hand to wipe away the tears that flowed down Susan's face. "I forgive you Susan," she said weakly. "You are here now, I can feel your mind touching mine, just like it did that night so long ago. I know you will help me now. You are strong, you can bring me back." "I don't know what to do," Susan said sadly. "I don't know how to get you back." Talia nodded. "I know." Then she looked up at the light, far above them, and shuddered. "She's still out there isn't she, just sleeping at the moment." "It is night," Susan explained. Then a little less sure of herself she continued, "I think I am sleeping as well." Talia didn't seem to hear Susan's last comment instead continued speaking. "I am only free when she is asleep, free to wander her dreams to see the horrible things she thinks about, and the horrible things she had done. She likes to show me too, every time she does something mean and horrid she will think about it constantly, knowing that I can see her thoughts." "How did you survive?" Susan asked softly. "I could not live like that." "I don't know Susan. Somehow part of my mind survives. I can hide here, safe from her, but not safe from her taunts. When she is awake she sends images, horrible images to try and destroy me. That is why I had to try and shut her out, to shut everything out." "I don't know if I can help you Talia," Susan said, her lack of confidence plainly evident in her voice. "I think this is only a dream." "Then we should dream while we can," Talia said, smiling up at her. "As long as I know you are alive, that there is hope, I can survive." She pulled Susan closer, as if she needed her warmth. Susan didn't hesitate and slipped her arms around Talia's body, hesitating slightly as she felt the bony ribs and parchment like skin. They seemed to lie there for hours, sharing their warmth and love. Eventually Talia looked up, staring sadly down the corridor Susan had travelled. At the far end a bright light had appeared. "She is waking up," Talia said. "You must go. If she find you here she will destroy you." She pushed Susan away. "Hurry, you don't have much time." "I don't know how to leave," Susan cried. But Talia was no longer listening, instead sitting back down in the same position Susan had left her and resuming the same chant. Susan leant down and gently drew the blanket back around Talia once more before turning to face the corridor. The light was drawing closer, and Susan felt apprehension and fear begin to rise within her again as it approached. Then the voice returned. "Come," it said again. The song in it's voice wound once more around Susan's body and lifted her out of the darkness. She found herself floating in space, a bright light off in the far distance. "My time is nearly over," the voice said. "I grow weak again." "How do I help her?" Susan asked. "I do not know," the voice replied. "You must seek that knowledge yourself, but know that you have within the power to do great things, if only you choose to use that power. Remain silent and your voice will never be heard, sing and you will be heard by all existence." The light in the distance grew closer. "Your time is nearly up too," the voice said sadly. "Who are you?" Susan asked again. "I am The Wanderer," the voice replied. "I wanderer the stars, listening to the song of the spheres. Listen with me little one and learn." Susan suddenly became aware of a distant voice. It was soon joined by another, then another, and so on until the sound of a billion voices rang in her ears. At first it was little more than noise, but then as more and more voices joined the first she heard a song rising from the noise. It was song of infinite beauty, and infinite wisdom, as if every creature in the universe was singing of their joy and love all at once. "Remember the song little one," the voice said, much weaker now. "It is a weapon and a shield. Only a few each aeon learn to hear the song, and you have within you that potential, more than any other of your kind. Many can sing the song, but they can not hear it. Learn to hear the song little one and none will touch you, stay silent and you will fall as so many others have fallen before you." "Why are you doing this?" Susan said, her voice weakened by the memory of what she had just heard. "Why are you helping me like this?" The voice was so dim now Susan could barely hear it. "I seek to save you, so you may become all that you were born to be." "Why?" Only a faint whisper responded this time, fading away to nothingness as she listened. "You have a destiny little one. You will learn to sing and then you shall sing the song of freedom and I will be free of their influence at last. Learn to sing little one, I have need of you. I will call again when I am strong...." Then it was gone and Susan found herself lying face down on her bed, still in the same uniform she had been wearing the previous night. "It was a dream?" she asked herself as she pulled herself up onto her elbows, confused by what had happened. She tired to get up, but sharp pain shooting through her skull forced her to lie back down again, clutching her head and moaning in agony. A thousand other hurts and pains flooded into her body, as every joint and blood vessel ached as one. She felt as though she had not slept in a month, and could barely keep her eyes open. The pain and tiredness did not last long though and soon faded away. As it subsided to a distant throbbing Susan glanced over at the vid screen to check the time. 05:25 it read, just five minutes before her alarm was meant to wake her. Still clutching her hands to her aching head, she sat up and stared at the screen, as if trying to will it to change time. It did, but only to indicate another minute had passed. Sighing she ordered the computer to deactivate the alarm and hauled herself to her feet. The pain in her body was still there, but it was fading. The memories of her dream, or had it all been real she wondered, were still there as well, so vivid that she could not help but believe them. Not wanting to forget any detail, she concentrated, running the events through in her head, trying to understand them. Somehow someone, or rather something, possible related to, or imprisoned by the Vorlons had contacted her, from where she did not know. Susan could only image the power needed to telepathically contact her all the way from Vorlon space, assuming that is where this creature was. It had shown her that Talia, the real Talia, the one she loved, was still alive somewhere inside the telepath's mind. If the memories were not so vivid she would have passed it off as just another dream, one among hundreds she had experienced since Talia had left. Instead it seemed real, but Susan wasn't sure if she could believe what her own senses had told her, especially when it had only been a dream. Tugging off her rumpled uniform she staggered into the shower and let the warm water wash away her pains. Even if she believed her dream, she still wasn't any closer to freeing Talia, or rather no closer to knowing how to free her. But she was determined now, Susan realised suddenly. Gone were her fears and self doubt. Somehow she knew it could be done, she just didn't know how. All she had to do was do what the voice in her dream had said and learn to use her abilities. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what else the voice had said. Instead of memories a song rose up, one that filled her with life and power and washed away any remaining fears she felt. "The song of the spheres," she whispered. Then the song in her mind faded, and Susan was left feeling strangely refreshed and strong. She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. "I will free her," Susan said, her voice grim with determination. "Even if it takes me another two and a half years, I will free her, and no-one, not the monster they put in her head, not that Psi-Cop, or even the entire Corps will stop me." ------------------------------------------------------------ Across the galaxy, on a hundred thousand worlds creatures stoped and shook their heads, a distant song playing in their ears. It lingered only for the tinniest part of a second and then it was gone, leaving behind a faint feeling of desperation and longing. Closer to it's source, the song was stronger and lasted longer. The creatures of this region were known as Human, Minbari, and Centauri, to mention but a few, but as on the other worlds of the galaxy they all felt the song's searching gaze But like on more distant worlds it lasted but a moment, as the creature who sang it's mournful tone found the being it sought and focused it's song there and away from the minds of those who were not meant to hear. On places like Mars, Earth and the Minbari Colony of Shiraka, telepaths stirred in their sleep as their thoughts calmed and nightmares changed to dreams of more pleasant times. Those who were awake felt a strange tugging at their hearts, and some even shed a tear of joy without even knowing why. Even a being such as Harvey Kiel, his heat tainted by darkness and hatred felt the faint stirring's of joy deep within. He was asleep, as were all most of those who followed Earth's clock but the searching song of The Wanderer woke him, an unfamiliar feeling of happiness and peace washing over him. He shuddered and feeling passed, but it left Kiel feeling uneasy and disturbed, as if something was very wrong. Climbing out of bed he quickly dressed and hurried off to the warship's bridge. Everything there was running as it should, and no enemy had appeared to threaten his plans. Still uneasy he found he could not return to sleep and spent the rest of the night stalking around the bridge looking for something wrong, or failing that someone to shout at. By morning he was tired and grumpy, snapping at everyone who came near. It was nearly time though, the warship was nearly complete and soon they would be setting out for the first test of the weapon. Then assuming everything went right they would move on to larger colonies, forcing all to surrender or face destruction. Finally Earth itself would surrender to him and his allies. Then with Earthforce behind him he would move on to the other races, only by then he would have an entire fleet of gigantic warships behind him, an unstoppable force capable of crushing everything in it's path. These thoughts soon restored Kiel's sense of calm and by the time Anderson arrived to inform him that the fighters had at last been completed he was almost smiling. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 12/16, Part A Date: Sun, 1 Nov 1998 00:27:11 +1030 Well here is the first part of Chapter 12, and probably the only part I will get done this weekend. For those of you who liked the last chapter well the next two will be similar and then Chapter 14 & 15 will have a lot more action than normal. Assuming I continue the way I have been it should be finished sometime in the next couple of weeks. Spoilers: There are spoilers for all 5 season of Babylon 5 in this story, so consider yourself well and truely warned. Disclaimers: The various B5 characters that I use in my story remain the property of Waner Brothers, TNT, JMS, and whoever else wants to claim them. The rest however are the proporty of my imagination and you can do what you will with them. Thanks: Just a few thank yous. * Emily - for putting up with me while I am lying in bed complaining about being sick. * Darkstar - for setting up my webpage and providing my internet connecton * Erik Lund - for helping edit my work and find mistakes I have made (for edited version see webpage at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ ) * Everyone else who has commented on my story (I really appreciate the feedback). ------------------------------------------------------------ Reunion - Part 12 By Sel Vecantie ------------------------------------------------------------ 07:56, February 15, 2262. Commander Suli Kargas stared at the screen in front of her with bloodshot eyes. It didn't change. She yawned and tried to look interested, but knowing inside, that barring a miracle, or in this case a catastrophe, the information on the screen was not likely to ever change. Suli was stuck, as many before had been, on one of the Earth Alliance's deep space listening posts, widely regarded as the worst possible posting in Earthforce. Constructed, soon after the Earth/Minbari war, along the borders of the Alliance's space these posts were supposed to prevent any future attack by alien races. The tiny base that Suli found herself stuck in was Listening Post Serene, built inside a slowly rotating asteroid, just inside Narn space. Actually Suli wasn't sure if it was still Narn space, so much had happened over the past few years. The listening posts may have been designed to prevent alien governments launching sneak attacks on Earth, but all they had been used for over the past few years had been to watch the other alien nations, and then finally Earth going to war with themselves and each other. There was little the fifty or so Earthforce personal on each base could do about this, their job were just to sit and watch, and if something important enough happened, report their findings. In the three months Suli had been in charge the most interesting thing that had occurred had been the arrival a single Narn battle cruiser which had stopped off at a nearby colony for supplies and then left two days later. It was a boring job, but someone, and at the moment that someone was Suli, had to do it. She had been appointed here just after the end of the civil war back on Earth, and despite the boredom she was feeling, she knew it was a great opportunity. Another three months and she would be on her way back to Earth, and probably a posting on a destroyer, or maybe, if she was really lucky, even a space station. Suli picked up the drink container that floated near her station and took a brief sip of the sweet protein drink inside. It wasn't great, but it was refreshing enough. In the zero gee environment of the listening post one could not be too choosy about what they had to eat or drink, and quickly learnt to take what they could get. Fortunately only a week ago a supply ship had arrived and the listening post's storerooms were crammed high with enough goods to last the six months until the next supply run. Taking another sip of the sugary drink Suli looked around her. The three other officers on duty in the control room of the base were either snoozing or reading the latest issue of Universe Today, which they picked up each day off the network from Earth. It was like almost every other day Suli had experienced since being sent to the most boring posting imaginable. She sighed and picked up a data pad she had been working on. Someone had to stay alert, and it looked like today it was the base commander's turn. An hour later she was still engrossed in the wonderful world of duty reports and crew evaluations where a flashing light on the screen in front of her caught her attention. Frowning she put aside the data pad, allowing it to float freely next to her. The light indicated an incoming object of some kind, but at the moment it was too distant to tell exactly what. She looked up at the other crew. "Ford," she called to the lieutenant reading the paper. "Wake Bartolo and Kennett up. It looks like we might have something." Lieutenant Ford put down his paper and looked at his own screen, immediately noticing the same thing she did. Unstrapping himself from his chair he floated over to the side of the other two officers and shook them roughly until they were awake. Rubbing the sleep from their eyes they looked about in confusion for a moment before also noticing the warning. Suddenly everyone was all business, trying to discover exactly what the object was. "What the hell is that," Bartolo asked, still a little sleepy. His hands though were already busy flying across the keyboard in front of him, while at the same trying brushing away the long red hair that kept flopping down in front of his eyes. It took him nearly a minute before he remembered that he didn't have either long red hair, or in fact any hair at all. Instead some one put a wig over his bald head while he had been asleep. A feminie chuckle from nearby alerted him to who had been responsible and he glared at Anna Kennett, the base's communication monitor, who smiled sweetly back at him, the picture of innocence. "Save it for later you two," Suli ordered. "I want information on that thing, and I want it fast." "It looks like a rock to me Commander," Ford said, having just received the first reading from the base's powerful sensors. "A big rock, but a rock none the less." "Damn," Suli replied. "Not another one." Asteroids were a common annoyance to those stationed on listening posts. Almost impossible to find by passive sensors until they where right on you, asteroids were responsible for close to two thirds of all false alarms. "Ok everyone," the Commander said. "Stand down, it is just another rock." Bartolo groaned and slumped back in his chair, scratching his head. "Damn rocks," he said in annoyance. "Wait a minute Commander," Ford called. "We are getting another ready from behind the asteroid. I don't know what it is, but it is big, damn big." "Can you bring it up on the screen," Suli asked. "Just doing it Commander," the lieutenant replied, bringing up on the display a large, constantly shifting image of some sort of vessel. "I am having trouble locking on. The image keeps shifting around and the computer is having trouble catching it." "Try your best Lieutenant," Suli said, watching the long flat image on the screen waver and jump about. Then she noticed something strange and her face drained of colour. "Oh shit," she swore, slamming her hand down on the large red alert button, that sat in the middle of the console in front of her. "What wrong," Ford asked, a puzzled frown on his face. "That asteroid is heading right for us," the Commander told him. "If it hits we are dead." The other officers quickly confirmed their commander's calculations. The asteroid was indeed heading straight for the base at high speed, and even if it didn't strike the base itself the impact with the asteroid the base was built inside would be enough to crack open their hull, and probably kill everyone inside. "Order a full evacuation Commander," Ford said, trying to keep his voice calm. Suli nodded and opened a channel to the entire base. "This is Commander Kargas," she said. "An incoming asteroid is about to strike this base. All personal are to proceed immediately to the life pods. I repeat all personal are to proceed immediately to the life pods. This is not a drill." She repeated the same message another two times, watching as the asteroid drew ever closer on the screen. A distant thud rang through the station signalling the first of the life pods launching. She knew it was unlikely that she and the rest of the officers in the control room would have time to escape now, but at least most of her crew would escape. "Commander," Kennett called to Suli from her post. "I am picking up some kind of transmission from the ship following the asteroid." "What sort of transmission?" Suli asked wearily. The communications monitor shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "It is some kind of signal, coming from that big ship and directed at space behind us." "Behind us," the Commander said, forgetting all about the doom rushing towards them. "Show me." The screen flickered and changed, showing the area of space to the rear of the station. Points of green light showed the life pods that had been launched from the base, and also a cloud of red dots. "What are they," she asked. As she spoke one of the green dots winked out, then another, and another until only the red dots remained. Suli could only watch in shock as her crew were slaughtered, one by one. She knew there was nothing she could do though, whoever was out there had planned this attack to perfection. She turned back to the stunned officers. "Are we being jammed?" she asked Kennett. When the other woman didn't reply she asked again, this time louder. "Ensign Kennett are we being jammed." The younger woman blinked and looked down at her console. "No commander," she replied. "No jamming in operation." "Good," Suli replied. "Dump our records from the last ten minutes and then attach them to a message for Earthforce. Then when that it done send it on a tight beam transmission to the nearest Earthforce base." The communication monitor nodded and quickly carried out her orders. Suli looked around at the worried, but strangely determined faces of her officers. "I don't know who these guys are," she said. "But Earthforce is going to know they are coming." "Message sent," Ensign Kennett suddenly said, and then their lives ended in a brilliant flash of light that lit up space for miles around as the unstable Quantium-40 core of the incoming asteroid exploded on contact with the base. Shards of rubble, tossed out be initial impact, were incinerated by the enormous explosion that followed, as both asteroids vanished in a rapidly expanding fireball. Had the sensors at the base, or in fact the base itself, survived for a moment longer they would have seen the enemy fighters scrambling to avoid the explosion, and the massive wave of energy that followed shortly after. On the bridge of the Enlightener Harvey Kiel sat back and look on in pleasure as the listening post was obliterated. The test had gone just as they had planned, the Earthforce base had not even known they were there until it was too late. He looked over at the Anderson who nodded back. "Weapon test successful," came the voice of one of the bridge crew. "Weapon has been reloaded, and gravity generators are recharging. Estimate one hour before weapon is ready to fire again." "Well," Anderson said walking over to Kiel side, while still watching the fireball that was only now just beginning to fade from the screens. "I think we can say that was successful. Of course we could have done the job just as well with the fighters against such a small target." "But we did need to test the weapon," Kiel replied. "And now we know it works we can move on to bigger targets." He looked over the helmsman. "Set course for the next target," he said, loud enough so that everyone on the bridge could hear him. Then he turned back to Anderson and continued their conversation telepathically. 'The fools never knew what hit them.' 'No Sir,' Anderson replied. 'Have you finalised the next target yet?' 'You were not present at the meeting,' Kiel queried. When Anderson shook his head he continued. 'It was decided there that one more test against an outpost would be needed, and then we can move on to the major targets.' 'Will they be necessary though,' Anderson asked. 'I mean once Earthforce knows what power we have under our control won't they just buckle and surrender.' 'Perhaps,' Kiel replied. 'But either way I want to make an example of at least one world. Given the choice between Proxima III and Mars I have chosen Proxima. It is less defended and will put less strain on our resources.' 'A good choice Sir. We might also take the time to remove Ivanova's ship while we are there. She, and that new ship of hers, might become a problem otherwise.' Kiel smiled. 'Yes I think we can spare a few minutes to destroy the Rasputin and anyone else who stands in our way. I have just learned that we do not need to worry about the Interstellar Alliance for now. They have problems on some world near Drazi space and their fleet will be out of the way for some time.' 'Did our allies arrange that?' Anderson asked. 'No this has nothing to do with them, it is just lucky for us that it all worked out this way. With the Interstellar Alliance out of the way for at least a week, or maybe even more, we will have all the time we need to finish conquering the Earth Alliance. Then by the time Sheridan calls back his ships we will have all of Earthforce under our command and there will be nothing he can do.' 'Unless Earth decides not to surrender,' Anderson warned. Kiel smiled and patted the console in front of him. 'If they try to fight then we show them what we can do. One shot from this baby and we level Earthdome and most of Europe. I don't think they will try and resist us a second time after that.' 'Indeed Sir,' Anderson said with a broad smile. "Ready to jump," the voice of the helmsman called. "Engage," Kiel said. He turned back to Anderson. 'I have always wanted to say that,' he said, his mind broadcasting the humour he felt. Ahead a vast orange circle appeared against the black background of space, as a jump point large enough to to admit the ten kilometre vessel, was opened by the warship's engines. The warship jumped forward into Hyperspace, followed by the small escort of alien fighters that were just returning from destroying the last of the listening post's life pods. Behind it left nothing more that dust, and a few floating tiny chunks of wreckage from the pods. ------------------------------------------------------------ "Is this all of your findings?" Susan asked Goran Habbib, the newly appointed chief medical officer, and the person responsible for Dr. Taylor's autopsy. "Yes Captain," he replied a little nervously. Standing in front of the captain he had quickly realised that Ivanova had a way of staring down at you, even though you were the one standing and she the one sitting. "Hmmm natural causes then," the Captain said, reading the data pad. "Are you certain. Ms. Chang seemed quite sure it was murder." Dr. Habbib nodded, trying to look confident in his work. "According to all the tests I conducted Dr. Taylor died of heart failure." "I would have thought she was a little young," Susan mused. "I think I am older than she was." Habbib shrugged. "It is rare I admit for someone of her age to die like this, especially given the testing we do these days, but not unknown. I would put down stress as the most likely cause." "Indeed," Susan said. "I think I know how she felt." She tapped the data pad a couple of time with one finger, as if considering it's contents. Dr. Habbib looked on, his hands twitching nervously. Finally Susan looked up again. "Very well, I accept your report. However I am not sure if Ms. Chang will. She might still insist on an investigation, which of course if her right, so make sure everything in your files supports your findings." "I will stand by my report Captain," the doctor said, his confidence growing now that he had the Captain's approval of his work. He hadn't wanted this job thrust on him, and would have been content to remain in charge of the second shift in sick bay, doing what he did best, healing people. Amanda Taylor's sudden death though had been something he had not counted on, and now he found himself thrust into the spotlight. "Good," Susan replied. Looking of his shoulder she spotted the black uniform of the Psi-Cop, closely followed by Talia's green uniform, approaching down the corridor. "You can take your report to Ms. Chang then." She paused. "In fact that looks like her just coming now." Habbib spun around and his nervous twitch returning as the tall telepath strode onto the bridge through the open doors. She stared at him for a second before walking across towards Susan. "Is that the autopsy report?" she asked, pointing towards the data pad in Susan's hands. "It is," Susan replied, handing over the pad. "Dr Habbib here had just finished explaining it to me and was about to bring it along to your quarters." "Natural Causes?" Sarah sneered after she had scanned the findings. "You have to be kidding me." She glared at the doctor in annoyance and opened her mind just enough to feel his thoughts. The doctor was a little frightened, both of her, and the captain, but, to her surprise, she could feel no malice or fear of discovery that she would have experienced if he had falsified the report. He obviously thought that what he had reported was correct. "Now Ms. Chang," Susan said. "Surely you are not questioning the doctor's word are you." "No Captain," Sarah said slowly, raising the blocks in her mind again. Just before she did though she picked up the Captain's surface thoughts, not scanning her, but just sensing her feelings. To her surprise the fear and hatred that had been so strong the day before where gone and in their place as almost overwhelming sense of confidence and something else Sarah couldn't quite identify. She was a little intrigued as to what would cause such a change but right now she had other things more important to do. "I would like to investigate further though Captain," she said. Susan looked at her quizzically. "I thought you would want to track down Mr. Anderson while the trail is still fresh," she said. "After all every day you wait the trail gets colder." "I will conduct both investigations at the same time," Sarah replied. The Captain shrugged. "Whatever you think is best Ms. Chang, I will not stand in your way. Unless you harass my crew unnecessarily. Then I may be forced to take action." "Of course Captain," Sarah said. "I will keep my investigations low key, and will cause as little disruption as possible." "Thank you," Susan replied. "You had better go and get started then." Sarah nodded, and after a pointed glance at Dr. Habbib to let him know she was going to examine his report very closely indeed, she left the bridge. Talia, who had been standing quietly next to the door turned and followed her. Susan noticed the blonde telepath looked very tired this morning, as if she had not slept well, and for once Talia did not attempt to speak to the Captain. Susan followed them with her eyes until they were out of sight and then turned back to look at the doctor. "Can I go too Captain?" Habbib asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead with an already damp handkerchief. "Of course," she replied. "But make sure you are free to assist Ms. Chang if she needs you help." The doctor indicated that he would make himself available and hurried out of the room, heading for the safety of sick bay. Susan smiled faintly at his actions, but then realised that until yesterday she probably felt the same way about being in the Psi-Cop's presence. In a way she still did, but somehow something had changed. Her determination had returned and she no longer felt fear at being in the presence of another telepath. She still hated Psi-Corp, but she was no longer afraid. It had taken her several hours this morning to finally accept that what she had experienced last night had not been a dream, but rather a vision bought on by some alien creature. Somehow it had contacted her across the vastness of space, a feat even the most powerful human telepath could not manage, and awakened something inside her. For what purpose she didn't know, but she had not sensed any malice, nor other negative emotions, directed towards her by the alien. She had not been able to detect the song the alien had shown her again since, no matter how she had tried. She had tried her best, but all she could manage was to hear a few of the voices at once. She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she could feel them with her mind whenever she concentrated hard enough. Susan wondered if this was what other telepaths felt when they scanned someone. It didn't seem like what she had felt years ago when she had slipped into her mother's mind. This was different somehow, as if she was doing it a another way now. More than anything she wanted to hear the beautiful song again, to hear the billions of voices all calling out at once. It wasn't something she could explain, just a feeling of peace and calm that washed over her whenever she thought about what she had experienced. It had no words, no music, but it was still a song, and one Susan could not get out of her mind. Her memories of the song were growing weaker as the hours passed, but every time she recalled it the same feeling of calm washed over her and she was filled with a strength of purpose unlike anything she had felt before. It reminded Susan a little of the way she steeled herself before battle, putting aside all other thoughts and concentrating only on what was important, her fighter, and the enemy. This was similar, but different. It was as if by recalling the song she was putting aside all her fears and worries and concentrating instead on what she had to do, only on what actually mattered. She could only hope now that she could continue to recall it. She liked being this way, unafraid and powerful. It reminded her of the way she had been on Babylon 5 in the year before everything had started to go wrong. Then she had been strong, determined, and not about to let anything get in her way. Later, during the Shadow War and the Civil War, she had let events around her carry her along from day to day. Then after the wars were over the truth of what she had been through had been too much to bear and she had fled, seeking to escape her memories. But now she was again beginning to feel some of that control returning. She didn't know what exactly the alien sought from her, or why it had chosen her, but inside she felt the strength of her soul and knew that, no matter what the creature wanted, it was helping her. Leaning back in her chair, and propping her feet up on the console in front of her, Susan began to hum a soft, gentle tune, much to the surprise of everyone else on the bridge. Susan didn't notice their stares though she was too busy listening to the song that flowed in her head. Her mind followed the song and reached out around her. She could feel two strong voices nearby, Talia and Chang probably, and beyond there were others, telepaths working on the planet below, and others even more distant. Susan soon forgot about them though, letting her mind drift and remember just the beauty the alien had shown her. ------------------------------------------------------------ Talia rubbed her forehead, trying to take away the pain she felt there, a dull throbbing hidden somewhere in the back of her mind. She felt a faint tingle, similar to what she felt when someone was scanning her, and reached out with her mind, looking for the source. There was nothing there, but for a brief second the nightmare she had experienced last night returned. She didn't remember much, just a faint recollection of an alien creature with mountainous teeth, and a body that blocked out the light. The blonde telepath shuddered slightly, a faint twinge of fear running through her. It soon passed though and she resumed her watch. The Psi-Cop had left Talia to guard the door of her quarters while inside she was making a call to Mars. Talia wasn't really interested in playing watch dog so amused herself by creating nightmares to plague the weak, pitiful personality hiding somewhere deep within her. To her surprise the resistance she felt was stronger than usual. She smiled. 'You can not resist me forever sister,' she thought. 'Soon I will find where you are hiding and crush you once and for all. Then there will only be me, as it was meant to be.' The other personality did not reply, but then Talia did not expect it to. Bored with that game she looked across the hall toward a cart one of the maintenance staff had left behind when she had ordered him to leave. Reaching out with her mind she grasped an electronic cutter with her telekinetic powers and lifted it off the cart. She started it spinning, and then to keep her abilities sharp she gently pushed the on/off switch making the narrow beam of energy flash as it spun faster and faster. The light amused her for a while, relieving her boredom while she waited for the Psi-Cop to return from making her call. Inside Sarah Chang was busy discussing her findings with her boss on Mars. "It looks like the doctor could be correct Sir," she was saying. "But I would like to make sure." On the screen Bester nodded. "Yes Ms. Chang so do I. Amanda Taylor might have only been a P1, but she was one of my better agents. I want no stone unturned while you look for what happened to to her. If someone is responsible I want them found and bought down. Scan whoever you have to, but I want to know for sure." "Yes Sir," she replied, then hesitated for a second. "I am not sure Captain Ivanova will like that though," she said cautiously, not wanting to upset Bester. "Tell her to speak to me if she complains," Bester replied, his voice conveying his determination. "I don't care how she feels about it. It is about time she learnt that telepaths do not have to obey every whim of mundanes. Threaten her if you have to, put make sure she doesn't get in the way." Sarah nodded. "Why does she hate us so?" she asked. "I don't understand the hatred I felt from her. It was irrational." Bester nodded. "I have found Ivanova to be a very irrational person when it comes to her hatred for telepaths. She blames the Corps for the suicide of her mother and me personally for... other things. Every time I go near her I have the distinct impression that she wants to kill me." Sarah shook her head sadly. "I feel sorry for her. Perhaps there is something I can do, to ease her pain?" "I wouldn't try if I were you Ms. Chang," Bester said. "If she thought you were messing with her mind she would probably order you spaced. Her record shows several incidents of hatred, and even violence towards telepaths, although nothing that would get her into any trouble, at least not yet." Sarah nodded and changing the topic returned to more important matters. "What about Anderson?" she asked. "Do you still want me to try and find him as well?" Bester nodded. "Yes," he said. "I don't expect you to have much luck, but I want any leads investigated while you are looking into Dr. Taylor's death." "Yes Sir." "Do you have any leads yet?" Bester asked. "On either matter?" "Not yet sir," she replied. "I am still looking over the report. From what I can see Dr. Habbib appears to be correct in his findings, although there is one other possibility." "And that is?" "Someone with telekinetic abilities might be able to achieve the same result." Sarah looked pointedly at the door leading out of the room. "Someone like Ms. Winters perhaps." Bester shook his head. "She could not possibly have done it. Apart from the fact that she only seems capable of manipulating macro objects, she is also one hundred percent loyal to Psi-Corp and could never kill another telepath. I made sure of that part of her programming myself after they bought her in." Sarah nodded in acceptance. "I guess that either leaves Dr. Habbib's findings then, or some other thing we are overlooking." "Keep looking Ms. Chang," Bester urged. "I want every possibility checked out before you close the book on this case. Send the doctor's report to me and I will have some of the researchers here check out possibilities for you." "Yes Sir," Sarah replied, pulling the data crystal out of the pad and sliding it into the reader in front of her. The system on the Rasputin was a little different than she was used to, but it took only moment or two for her to attach the report to the signal and send it to Bester's office. "Good," he said, seeing the information appear on his screen. "I will leave you to continue your investigation now. I have found something interesting here on Mars so will continue my search here. If you find out anything further, either about Anderson or Dr. Taylor let me know. Do not worry about the time of day or anything stupid like that, I need to know as soon as possible if you find anything." "Yes Sir," Sarah said again as the screen went black, the link to Mars terminated by Bester. She sighed, realising that she had a lot of work in front of her. This was going to be a tougher job than she had originally thought, but if successful then she would have Bester's thanks and that would get her a long way in the Psi-Corps. Eager to begin she collected Talia from outside her quarters, and dragged her off towards sick bay. There still were a few things she wanted to discuss with Dr. Habbib before she began her investigation. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 12, Part B Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1998 00:22:00 +1030 ------------------------------------------------------------ 10:34, February 17, 2262. "And the last thing on the list is the main weapon," Petrov said, reading from a data pad on the table in front of him. "We still haven't had completely successful test with the particle cannon yet. Lieutenant-Commander Dreyer say he will look into it, so hopefully he can come up with something. Everything else is running well though, all things considered." Susan nodded in agreement. The past two days had been been very busy as she had put the Rasputin and her crew through a long series of tests and drills to ensure they were ready for anything that might arise. After all the Rasputin was a new warship, with a new and in some cases inexperienced crew. To Susan's surprise the drills had gone quite well, with the only exception being the crew assigned to the main gun who had missed all but three of the holographic drones that were meant to represent enemy fighters. "Good," Susan said. "Tell Mr Dreyer that I want to see him later to speak about the problem with the Cannon crew. Also see if you can't get Dr. Kozlowski to have a look at the weapon systems, there may be something he can do." "Will do Captain," her second in command replied, making a quick note on the data pad. "I am not sure there is much they can do though. The particle cannon's targeting system appears way too slow to track and fire on enemy fighters. Large ships like destroyers it would have no trouble at all, but fighters are just too quick and manoeuvrable for it." "I know Commander," Susan conceded. "I wanted to see if we couldn't upgrade it a little though. That incident with the raiders made me wonder if the Rasputin had enough anti-fighter defences." "Well the new model interceptors should be enough," Petrov said. "They are around thirty percent more efficient than the old model." "True, but if we were attacked by a similar number raiders as last time then we could still be in trouble." Susan paused and sipped the glass of fruit juice that had been sitting in front of her. "How did the fighter drills go this morning? I didn't have a chance to check up on them yet, what with this silly meeting and all." "A lot better than I expect Captain. I don't think we have anything to worry about there." Susan agreed and looked down at the green liquid in her glass, considering the last two days. A new spirit of confidence and determination had filled her and the weariness that had been her constant companion for the past few years began to fade. Renewed she had thrown herself and the Rasputin's crew into the drills, eager to have everything running as well as it could. To her surprise the crew had taken to the drill like ducks to water and submerged themselves into the work. Even Petrov, who always worried about the smallest detail seemed happy, well at least as happy as he could be. Not that everything was going her way of course, she would have worried if it had. While the Rasputin's crew were working out well, even beginning to become something of a team, her attempts to try discover her telepathic abilities had met with almost total failure. Susan had tried, but so far had been unable to do anything she knew telepaths were supposed to do. It was almost as though she was doing it the wrong way and her mind was different somehow. In fact she was starting to doubt that she had any abilities at all, apart from those she had already discovered years ago. She could block casual scans, detect when someone was scanning her and if touching another telepath could scan them, but she did not seem to have any abilities beyond that. The alien creature had told her that she had the potential, but as far as Susan was concerned that potential wasn't likely to ever show itself. Perhaps she was afraid of what she might find, but Susan was more of the opinion that it wasn't there at all. "Captain," Petrov said again, cutting into her musings. Susan blinked and looked up from her drink. "Sorry, what was that Commander?" "I just asked if I could authorise shore leave for the fighter pilots and anyone else not involved in the test today. It might improve morale. Not that there is any morale problem at the moment of course." After considering this for a moment Susan shook her head. "No," she replied. "I don't want any animosity between the pilots and the rest of the crew. There was a lot of that on Babylon 5, with some of the pilots thinking they were above the rest of the crew. Keep the fighters out there training, get Mr. Schmitt to design some new drills or something if he is having trouble keeping them busy. I want the crew to work as a team, so no-one gets shore leave until everyone has completed the drills successfully." "Yes Captain," Petrov said. Susan wasn't sure if he agreed with her or not. He did however mark down her orders on his data pad. "I will speak to Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt when I get back to the Rasputin." "You might want to get going now then Commander," Susan suggested. "The shuttle is waiting on the landing strip at the moment. I didn't know how long the meeting with President Mitrovic was going to take so I didn't set a departure time. I can return later." "What about you?" Petrov asked. "Won't you need a shuttle as well?" "I have a few other things I want to do first," she replied. "Send it back down when you get back." "Well I will see you back on the Rasputin then Captain," Petrov said getting to his feet. "Do you want me to take charge of the drills until you get back?" "That would probably be best Commander," Susan said with a nod. "I don't know how long I will be. The President might call wanting another meeting. Although I hope it is about something a little bit more important than asking for his fighter pilots to drill with ours. I mean he could have just asked me that over the link." Petrov nodded and smiled, then after saying goodbye headed off across the market towards the transport out of the dome. The small cafe they had chosen was situated just outside the parkland that surrounded the Colonial Administration Building, and because few people ever went to visit the President or the rest of the Proxima government it was fairly quiet. That had meant that they had been able to sit and discuss recent events without being disturbed, which had pleased Susan no end. Susan put aside the fruit drink she had ordered and stretched. Looking down at her link she was a little shocked by the time they had been at the cafe. She was a little annoyed with President Mitrovic for keeping her away from the ship for so long. There were a lot of drills to complete before she would be happy with the crew, and her vessel. After paying for her drink she walked towards the plaza that led to the dome's shopping centre. Reagan Dome was built in a circular pattern with the strut that held up the entire structure as the centre point. Built around that was the Gothic Colonial Administration Building followed by a small strip of parkland and a few other government buildings and some small cafes. Then came the plaza Susan was walking across now. It appeared to be made of a local stone, which was a little uncommon for Earth designed structures that usually tended to be constructed entirely of artificial material. Still the rough surface of the stone gave the plaza a feeling of age and history, remind Susan a little of some of the old streets she had walked down during her brief visit to her home town of St. Petersburg earlier this year. As Susan walked slowly though the main market of Reagan Dome, enjoying the sights and sounds around her, she realised that the past two days had been better than any she had experienced in a long time. The song the alien had shown her was fading now, but if she concentrated as hard as she could she could just pick up its faint echo's. At least, thanks to the alien's assistance she had been able to restore her determination to face down her fears, and problems. This was part of why she found herself deciding to make a short visit to the market after her visit with the President today. Back on Babylon 5 her quarters had always been well appointed with paintings and several plants that she had cared for. On the Rasputin though the walls and shelves were still bare. There was no sense of home about it. Susan was beginning to look more and more on the Rasputin as her new home, at least for now. For four years Babylon 5 had been her home, her family, and she had never thought to replace that. The past two days though had made her think differently about the ship. Sure she still didn't like the idea of the Shadow technology that was powering it, but for the most part that was hidden beneath the surface. It did not protrude into her life, and although she knew it always there, she had slowly grown used to the idea. It still reminded her of the Shadows and the destroyers that had nearly taken her life, but there was no malice in the Rasputin. The modified Omega destroyers she had faced in the Whitestars had been horrible, spiked vessels, almost radiating an aura of fear. The Rasputin was not like this, and it's silver hull could not look more different, reflecting light instead of drawing it in. All of this, the changes of feelings, and the awakening of something within her, had led Susan to make a quick trip into the market today. She didn't know quite what she was looking for, but needed something to brighten up her quarters. She hadn't spent a lot of time there yet, but if it was going to be her new home then at least it had to look like it. Already, on the way into the President's office, she had bought a large lizard-skin rug for her lounge room. While she didn't like the idea of owning something that was once part of a living creature, the brilliant mosaic of colours had caught her eye and she had been unable to avoid purchasing it. Petrov had also convinced her to buy it, agreeing with her assessment that her room needed some brightening up. Now as she walked across the plaza she was looking for a shop selling potted plants. They were probably very expensive here, anything living bought from Earth was, but she had plenty of money at the moment. Looking around Susan was a little surprised to very few people on the streets around her. Reagan was supposed to have a population of around three hundred thousand, but few of them seemed to be out and about at the moment. Not that the number of people out shopping this morning really concerned her. There were other concerns, and most of them involving the two telepaths currently residing on her ship. One she wanted to get closer too, but the other she wanted gone, and preferably as far away as possible. Every minute the Psi-Cop was on board was another minute when there was a chance Susan's telepathic abilities, however pathetic and weak, could be discovered. Suddenly she stopped, confused for a second by a sudden feeling of sadness that flooded through her, before shaking the feeling and spotting the shop she was looking for. ------------------------------------------------------------ The Drazi scavenger vessel turned quickly, trying to avoid the powerful pulses of energy from the glowing ball of light that followed closely behind. A glittering stream of green energy swept past the scout ship's wings once, and then twice as the Drazi vessel tried to get out of range. Then a third time the beam shot out, and this time the Drazi's luck had run out and the beam cut straight through their ship, slicing it neatly in half. The crew, twenty Drazi and a hired Human telepath, survived for several seconds after the destruction of their vessel before the air in their lungs ran out and their lives began to end. The creature known as The Wanderer watched on sadly, feeling the pull on its life energy each time the Vorlon defence systems fired, but knowing that it was unable to prevent them from firing. There was nothing it could do, the prison was too strong, the wards too thick, and so yet another voice faded and then eventually died. A single tear rolled from one of the Wanderer's vast eye and floated free, drifting slowly across space towards the green world below. Although weak and imprisoned its sadness at the telepath's death was such that its thoughts were just powerful enough to escape the wards and walls the Vorlons had built around it. Across the galaxy the only three creatures capable of sensing the Wanderer's thoughts paused in their daily activities and stopped for a moment, all wondering why they felt a sudden feeling of sadness for no reason. Other telepaths of lesser ability felt nothing, the thought not strong enough to reach them this time. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sarah Chang removed her hand from where it had rested, across Talia chest. "She has gone inside," she said. "We can continue." Talia sighed in annoyance. "I don't know why you want to stay out of the Captain's way. Why do you care what she thinks." "I am trying to make things run smoothly," Sarah explained. "You must know that Captain Ivanova doesn't like telepaths. While I find that very strange and irrational it doesn't hurt to do whatever I can to try and smooth over relations." Talia let out an exaggerated yawn. "Whatever you say," she said, sounding less than convinced. "Personally I don't see why you just don't go and demand her immediate co-operation. That way we could get this silly investigation over and done with a lot quicker. These endless interviews with Proxima's telepaths are useless as well. It is obvious that Anderson didn't have anything to do with them." Now Sarah was becoming annoyed, although not with the investigation, but with Talia. "You job is to obey, not complain," she snapped, surprising herself with the brief burst of anger. "One of them has to know something about Anderson." "I doubt it," Talia said. "How do you know that he even met with one of the telepaths?" "Because the records show that he left the Rasputin for a three hours on the fifth of this month, returning right before he told Captain Ivanova he was leaving to return to Mars. The question is where did he go during those three hours, my guess was down here to see someone on the planet. All we have to do is find out who that was, and then we might also find out what has happened to Mr. Anderson." "How do you know he didn't just have an accident in Hyperspace?" Talia asked. "I can recall a lot of vessels that have entered Hyperspace and never come out again." "We know," the Psi-Cop replied. "How," Talia pressed. "That is not your concern," Sarah replied, before a frown crossed her face. "In fact none of this is your concern. You are supposed to be my assistant, not my interrogator. So assist and don't question me again." Talia smiled faintly as the Psi-Cop marched off toward the home of the next telepath they were going to interview. She enjoyed these little games, they kept her from becoming bored. She eyed the shop Ivanova had entered for a moment before walking slowly after Sarah, not wanting to appear too eager to follow the Psi-Cop's orders. She might be loyal to Psi-Corp, but that didn't mean she was going to act like a puppy dog and follow every order the much younger woman gave her. For a brief second she even thought about going onto the shop to annoy Captain Ivanova instead, but the Captain had been showing a lot more resistance to her taunts of late, so that probably wouldn't get her anywhere. Instead she turned back towards the Psi-Cop who was waiting a little way down the street, tapping her foot in annoyance. Talia smiled innocently and walked over to Sarah's side, trying to look eager, something she failed at completely. ------------------------------------------------------------ President John Sheridan of the Interstellar alliance looked at the report in annoyance. "This is all you received?" he asked the ranger who stood before him. "I am afraid so," the ranger replied. "The message was cut short before it ended." "This doesn't tell us much," Sheridan said looking at the screen the message was repeating itself on. "We are under attack by an unknown force, s...." was all the message said before being cut off by a burst of static. The sender of the message was Ranger Harrison, the current commander of Whitestar 85, one of two vessels that were currently overdue at the rendezvous near Drazi space. The ship was obviously in trouble, as both men in the office could see the bright sparks of exploding panels in the background. Sheridan sighed. "There is not much we can do I am afraid. This situation with the Enphili has forced us to commit all of our forces, we don't have any spare ships to send to investigate this attack yet. What did Earthforce say?" "That they will look into the matter. No specifics though." "Then there is little else we can do," Sheridan said firmly. "We can not go storming off into Earth's territory without a good reason. While you and I might consider this a good reason it is Earth's responsibility as it happened in their territory. Whoever might have been responsible we can only hope that Earth can deal with them." ------------------------------------------------------------ "Just leave everything there thanks Crewman," Susan said, pointing towards a spot on the floor, a point just inside her quarters. The crewman nodded once and carefully lowered all the package she had bought down onto the floor, trying not upset the Captain in her quarters by spilling them. Then the job done he hurried out of the room as soon as Susan had dismissed him. After she had set the packages she had been carrying down on her bed she looked at those the crewman had carried from the shuttle for her. It wasn't until that moment that she realised how much she had actually bought. She had originally intended on buying nothing more than a couple of plants to sit on the shelves in her bedroom, instead she has ended up with several paintings, ten pot plants, three rugs and a large collection of other items she hadn't really wanted. The shopkeepers on Proxima though were very insistent and Susan had ended up buying a lot more than she had originally intended. In fact she had been a little embarrassed returning to the Rasputin weighed down with her purchases, while the crew had been slaving away all morning on a series of tiring drills designed to determine their readiness for battle. Susan wondered what that said about her readiness. She only hoped that the crew wasn't going to treat her differently now, although knowing the way things usually went, they already probably hated her and anything she did now wasn't going to change the situation. Although she still had to find places to put all her new purchases Susan scanned her computer for recent messages. Surprisingly there were only three. One was from Commander Petrov, advising her on the current status of the drills, reading it she found it was as too the point as the rest of the Commander's work had been so far. The other two messages were from the ship's laundry telling her that both of her uniforms she had sent down there were ready to be picked up. Leaving the unpacking of her shopping for now she headed down to deck 4 to retrieve her uniforms, both of which had need repairs after the things she had put them through of late. ------------------------------------------------------------ "You will tell us," Sarah Chang said harshly to the figure sitting on the chair. "Look I don't know anything," the man replied, although the beads of sweat beginning to run down his forehead betrayed the worry, or was that fear he felt. The man was a commercial telepath, and a reasonably successful one at that. He was also, as Sarah had finally been able to find out, the man the rogue Darren Anderson had been to see before leaving the Proxima system. "You know Anderson though don't you," Sarah demanded. "He came to see you, why was that?" "I don't know this guy Anderson," the telepath replied. "I already told you that before." Sarah smiled. "Indeed you did Mr. Hill, indeed you did. However I don't believe you, and like it or not you are going to tell us." Talia, who had been sitting quietly behind the Psi-Cop, trying to look menacing, was a little relieved as Sarah said that. She knew that the Psi-Cop could probably have wrenched the information out of the telepath's mind with little trouble at all. After all he was only a P6, admittedly high for a commercial telepath, but nothing compared to the Psi-Cops, who were rated at least P11. Talia hoped that now they could get this silly interrogation over and done with. She didn't understand why Sarah just didn't use her abilities to get the information she wanted instead of trying to be kind and do things the mundane way. "Ms. Winters," Sarah called. "Hold him still please." With a slightly evil smile Talia extended her will and used her telekinetic abilities to hold Hill rigid, so he couldn't evade the Psi-Cops hands while she probed him. It was difficult, he was a strong man, but her mind was stronger, at least for now. "I can hold him for only a few minutes," she said, the strain plainly visible in her voice. Sarah nodded, and after removing her gloves placed her hands on either side of Hill's head and then closing her eyes began to probe him, gently at first, but then when he still resisted with all her will. "You are.. an agent of his," Sarah said slowly, dragging each titbit of information out a little bit at a time. Beneath her hands, still held tightly by Talia's mental powers David Hill began to sweat, realising that he couldn't keep anything secret any more. His mind gave up the resistance and information flooded out into Sarah's. "Yes," the Psi-Cop breathed. "That's it tell me everything you know." Hill was unable to resist any more and the information she sought was soon found. "Good," Sarah said releasing Hill, and allowing him to flop down unconscious on the floor. She smiled. "Well Mr. Anderson what are you up to?" she asked no-one in particular as she replace her gloves on her hands. "Did you find anything interesting," Talia asked from her seat by the door. "Plenty," the Psi-Cop replied. "Come, we have work to do." She then swept out of the door, leaving the unconscious telepath lying sprawled across the floor. With only a brief glance in Hill's direction Talia followed, this time a little more eagerly. ------------------------------------------------------------ Susan looked suspiciously at the data crystal the crewmen working in the laundry had found in her pocket of her uniform. Then she remembered it was the one Dr. Kozlowski had given her, something about research the doctor had said. Had she tried hard enough she could have recalled the conversation, but at the moment it did not seem important. Instead she put it into the reader in her bedroom while she worked out where to put her pot plants. A little surprised there were no voice or sound Susan turned back to the screen and read what the doctor had written. Captain, I have gathered together the information you required regard the criminal treatment technique known as the Mindwipe. I am not that familiar with the telepathic and Metapsionic sciences however this file should answer most of your questions. Dr. Nathan Kozlowski NOTE: I have made this introduction fairly general so anyone, even those not versed in Metapsionic Telepathic Lobotomies (myself included) can still understand it. However I have also attached to this file several essays from recent issues of the Psi-Corp Journal on the subject, as well as five from Dr. Eric Portman, the leading researcher into the technique. 'So this is what he meant by research,' Susan thought. She thought back to the very brief conversation she had with the doctor in the fighter bay what seemed like weeks ago. She shook her head, amazed that Kozlowski would spend so much time gathering information for her, especially seeing she had never asked him too. Still she wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to find out all she could, especially after the doctor had spent the time to do the research for her. Eagerly she turned back to the screen and began to read the rest of the file, hoping that Dr. Kozlowski knew as much about this subject as he seemed to know about everything else. ------------------------------------------------------------ Anderson handed over the report to Kiel, who was at his usual post on the Enlightener's bridge. In fact he hardly ever seemed to leave it any more as the warship moved ever closer to it's next target. The Earth Alliance base may still have been more than two days travel away but Kiel was anxiously looking forward to the coming attack. "Interesting," the former Psi-Cop said after skipping through the report. "Well I don't think Sheridan will make much of that message." He looked up at his assistant. "Are you sure that is all they got off?" "That was all we monitored, their ship exploded right after so I think we can safely assume that the Interstellar alliance still doesn't know of our existence." Kiel nodded and leaned back against the soft padding of the command chair. "Good, the less people that know the better. I must admit though I didn't think your plan would work. I mean pretending to be dead in space, only a fool would fall for that." "Well the Rangers must be recruiting fools then," Anderson replied with a smile. "Because both of those ships fell for it." His face turned a little more serious. "I must admit though I was a little surprised it actually worked. I would have thought one look at us would have made them turn and run and at the speed this ship moves at we wouldn't have been able to catch them." "Instead they decided to investigate," Kiel said, returning his assistant's smile. "I can still feel the commander's shock as the fighters launched at him." "It's breaking up," Anderson said, before breaking down laughing as he remember how the two Whitestars had been destroyed. Kiel soon joined him, both laughing out loud at the humour, at least as they saw it, in the whole situation. Far behind them the wreckage of the two Whitestars spun slowly in space, peppered with blast marks from the fighters. Ahead, still at least another two days travel away, was another Earth Alliance outpost total unaware of the danger that was slowly making its way through Hyperspace towards it. ------------------------------------------------------------ Susan quickly scanned the rest of the information and realised that it was all fairly similar to what she already knew. Despite the doctors best work he had been unable to discover anything that she didn't already know. Skipping the rest of the doctors file she turned instead to the attached essays. The Psi-Corps articles were useless, as Susan had expected. After all it wasn't likely that Psi-Corp would want anyone else to know how their powers worked, they liked feeling superior than everyone else. Sighing to herself, Susan turned to the last few essays, the ones by Dr. Portman. Despite her hopes they proved as useless as the rest of the articles. It wasn't that they didn't contain useful information it was just that Susan didn't understand anything written down. In fact she was sure that probably the only person who understood everything in those essays would be Portman himself. A little angry for allowing herself to feel hopeful she leaned over to shut off the reader. Her hand stopped though as she realised that there was still one more file to read. For a second she hesitated, torn between reading the last file and exposing herself to more disappointment, or leaving and possibly passing up one last chance. Susan surprised even herself and opened the last file, sitting back down to read the information that flooded onto the screen. TELEPATHIC & METAPSIONIC TECHNIQUES A. Telepathy The most common psionic ability is telepathy. Around 96% of all Psi-Corp members are telepaths, the rest have either empathic of telekinetic abilities. Below is a list of common telepathic abilities. A.1 Contact [P1+] The most common active telepathic ability. It is the ability to contact the mind of another creature, either a normal or telepath and either read or sent thoughts. A.2 Mental Shield [P1+] A common defensive ability. It allow a telepath to block the thoughts of others from entering their minds. The strength of these block rise with the power of a telepath. A.3 Domination [P11+] Illegal under current Psi-Corp rules. Description Classified.... Reading on Susan realised that this was a long list of abilities that were available to telepaths. While it was very useful, in fact she wondered exactly where Kozlowski had found it, it did little to raise her hopes. In fact looking down the entire list she felt her hopes dropping with every sentence she read. Out of everything listed all her powers seemed to amount to was the ability to hear the thoughts of other telepaths, and occasionally scan someone else, but only when they were actually touching her. In fact based on what was in the file her powers barely even rated a P1. Sighing in disappointment she turned off the reader and took out the data crystal, not even reading the second part of the file on theoretical abilities, instead just tossing the crystal into one of the drawers beneath her bed with the data crystals Garibaldi had sent her. She was about to shut the drawer again when she noticed the one of the other crystals, the one with the Vorlon markings on it. Picking it up Susan looked at it for a second wondering if there had been a problem with the reader last time she had tried to access its contents. She paused, again torn about her action, and then deciding that just one more try wouldn't hurt her. It wasn't that she was optimistic about it's contents, but something told her that there was more to the data crystal that she though, otherwise why would Garibaldi have sent it to her. When the same screen of static came up again she considered quite seriously calling up Babylon 5 and asking him just that, but instead just sighed and lay back against the bed cursing god and everyone else she could think of. She had been so hopeful when she had first looked at the information on Dr. Kozlowski data crystal that she might have found the key to freeing Talia, but she had allowed herself to hope for no reason. It was frustrating more than anything. Talia was here, on her ship, and somewhere hidden who knows where there was a key that would unlock her mind and return the woman she loved. "It would be so much easer if it were a medical problem," she said out loud. "If we could just see her thoughts on the screen and fix the problem." Susan suddenly stopped and sat up, staring at the static filled screen in front of her. "On the screen," she said looking at it. She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, weak though her telepathic powers might be. To her surprise the images came back powerful and strong, a collection of fear and terrors. Despite what she was witnessing Susan felt joy, she knew what the thoughts were. Once, shortly before Talia had been taken from her, the telepath had told her of an incident with Ambassador Kosh, how he had recorded her thoughts. This was that recording, a record of everything that Talia, and the false personality currently inhabiting her mind, feared. Possibilities filling her thoughts Susan removed the data crystal and put it aside, retrieving the one Kozlowski had sent her. Somewhere in all that had to be a clue on what to do. ------------------------------------------------------------ Talia stopped for a moment and looked around confused. She had felt something strange as she had climbed down the ladder from the shuttle, something that left her a little frightened. She frowned. She hadn't been frightened before, the old Talia had, but not her. The new and better Talia didn't fear anything. "What is wrong now," Sarah asked, her voice leaving Talia in no doubt that the Psi-Cop was getting really annoyed. Normally she would have been pleased, but for some reason she felt concerned more than anything. Something had frightened her, a thought she suddenly realised. Somewhere there was someone had thought something that had frightened her. That realisation drove away the few remaining wisps of fear and replaced them instead with a hot veil of anger. "Nothing," she snarled at Sarah as she stalked past the Psi-Cop, her mind scanning around the shuttle bay, searching for however was responsible. Whoever it was would pay dearly for what they had done. There was no sign of anyone though, so whoever it had been had obviously turned their thoughts to less dangerous things. "Come on then," Sarah said. "I want to see if the Captain knows anything about what we have discovered." Talia nodded slowly and turned to follow, her mind still searching for whoever had filled her thoughts with fear. For a brief moment she thought it might have been the old personality that still dwelt within her, but the old Talia was still as elusive as ever and had it been her then she would have repeated it, trying to get back at her for all the pain Talia had caused her. Seeing the Psi-Cop looking impatiently at her again Talia decided to leave off her search and forget about the incident for now. But she was on the look out now and if it happened again she would teach whoever was responsible a lesson they would not forget, or recover from. ------------------------------------------------------------ It took Susan another hour to find the reference she had been looking for but at last she had it. She had the key she needed to restore Talia's personality. All she needed to do was break down the current personalities strength and then when it was weak enough the real personality should be able to return. She had the key at last. Or rather she would have one if she had a telepath who could enter Talia's mind and carry the thoughts on the data crystal with them. A P12 might be able to do it, but Susan, barely even a P1 had no chance. Certainly she had a key, but her mind was not powerful enough to turn it. Disgusted she tossed the two data crystals into the back of the drawer and slammed it shut. Then she stormed off, out of her quarters. She had never felt such frustration before. To know that she had within her grasp something that could save the woman she loved, only she were not strong enough to use it was perhaps the hardest thing Susan had ever had to accept. She didn't want to accept it, but knew that baring a miracle, or a friendly Psi-Cop, if such a thing existed, all she had were two useless data crystals. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 12, Part C Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1998 00:24:57 +1030 Here is the last part of chapter 12. The next chapter will be along soon, well as soon as I decide exactly what to write in it. The last 3 chapters are easy, but 13 is giving me a little trouble. As always comments, suggestions etc are welcome. For disclaimers see Part A ------------------------------------------------------------ Susan looked around the conference room, amazed this was the first time she had actually been here. When the Warlock class destroyers were designed they were created to be a fleet command vessel, and this meant that there were several extras that were not common on other smaller destroyers. One of these extras was the conference room that had been set aside for meetings between captain's of other vessels and the Rasputin's commander. Susan however didn't even know it existed until Commander Petrov had said they should meet there instead of her office. Actually Susan would have preferred her office, but she was aware that it was probably too small to hold all the command staff comfortably so had agreed. The conference room was a lot larger than she had imagined when Petrov had mentioned it. Located at the far end of the command deck it took up about as much room as her quarters and office combined. It was dominated by a large metal table and the ring of chairs that surround it, but Susan also noticed the holographic displays that covered the walls, some just showing space outside, but other showing important readouts from various ships sensors. As no-one else was there when she arrived Susan took a seat at the head of the table and idly watched the slowly rotating planet pass by on the ceiling display. After ten minutes of waiting the rest of the command staff arrived, taking up seats around the table. "Right," Susan said after everyone had arrived. "I thought we might just have a quick discussion about the results of today's drills. Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt, perhaps you would like to lead off." "Certainly Captain," the flight commander replied enthusiastically. He pulled out a data pad from beneath the table, when it had been resting on his legs, and began to read from it. "All drills were passed successfully within the required parameters. Alpha squadron had the best score with a ninety nine percent kill rate and no causalities on their part." "That is good," Susan agreed, cutting into his speech. "What where the...." "Captain," a voice from the door suddenly called out loudly, cutting of the rest of the conversation. Susan swung around and looked at Sarah Chang with a frown. "What do you want Ms. Chang," she demanded. "We are in the middle of an important meeting here." "It can wait," the Psi-Cop replied. "I have important questions of my own." "Well I think they can wait," Susan said, in a tone that showed quite clearly how annoyed she was at the interruption. "I am afraid they can't Captain," Sarah told her. "I need answers for these at once. And the sooner you help me out here the sooner I can be out of your way." Susan sighed, admitting defeat and waving the telepath towards a seat at the table. "Very well Ms. Chang, ask away." Sarah nodded and took a seat opposite before beginning to explain what she wanted. "I have discovered something important," she told the collection of officers. "It seems Mr. Anderson took an unscheduled journey down to the planet below shortly before his alleged trip to Mars." "Well I didn't know that," Susan said. "Of course Mr. Anderson was not in the habit of informing me or anyone else of his activities. He reminds me a little of you in that way Ms. Chang." Looking a little annoyed at the interruption Sarah glared at Susan as if to remind that the affairs of the Psi-Corps were not her concern and then she continued her explanation. "Had you checked the shuttle bay logs you would have been able to find that out Captain. However that doesn't matter for now. What does matter is the fact that he met with someone in Reagan Dome, a commercial teep named David Hill. I have spoken to this Mr. Hill and he told me that Anderson was going to some place he called Project A3." A look of recognition passed over Susan face, something that did not go unnoticed by the Psi-Cop. "You know the location of Project A3 Captain?" she asked. Susan nodded. "I may do Ms. Chang," she answered. "I believe it could be the planet Arisia 3, somewhere along the border with Narn space." As she spoke she noticed Major Logan looking on with sudden interest, and then remembered that the Major had said she would look into the whole matter of the Arisia 3 for her. For a moment Susan though about telling the Psi-Cop that, but decided not to at the last minute. If the Major didn't volunteer any information Susan wasn't going to ask her to, especially not to a Psi-Cop. Sarah looked a little surprised by that news. "Arisia 3?" she said in a questioning tone. "I don't believe I have ever heard of that one." "It was once home to a small colony that belonged to a friend of mine," Susan told her. Then she stopped for a moment and realised this was the first time she had thought of Marcus for days. She glanced up at Talia who was standing quietly by the door watching proceedings, and wondered if the telepath's presence was the reason. "Did this friend of yours tell you anything about the world Captain?" Sarah pressed. Susan shook her head. "I didn't even know anything about it at all until a couple of weeks ago. I believe it was a mining world, Quantium-40 probably. It is in the database anyway, you should be able to find out anything you desire from that." "Thank you Captain," the Psi-Cop replied. "I believe I may have enough information to find Mr. Anderson now. If you will excuse me I will get right onto it." "Of course Ms. Chang," Susan replied, indicating the the Psi-Cop was more than welcome to leave. Then as Sarah did so, taking Talia with her, Susan turned and look for a second at Major Logan, a slightly questioning look on her face. The Major looked thoughtful as if considering the Psi-Cop's findings and did not seem to notice Susan. Deciding to talk with Lily later Susan turned back to face the rest of the table asking, "right, now that is over, where were we." "You were about to ask me the targets the fighters were aiming at were," Alister Schmitt replied. "And I was about to tell you that they were aiming at holographic drones of Narn fighters." "Why Narn," Susan asked. "Well they had already defeat all the other targets, Minbari, Raider, and Centauri. Narn were the next on the list. I thought it best to test them against all sort of targets." Susan nodded, "sounds like the fighter pilots are ready for almost anything then Lieutenant-Commander. How about the rest of the crew." She turned to look at Lieutenant-Commander Dreyer who was slumped in a seat across from her, the dark haired officer looking a little tired. Before she could get a reply though her link beeped. Susan look heavenward for a moment as if to ask "what now" before tapping the receive button. "Yes what is it," she asked. "Coded signal coming in from Earthdome on channel 3 Captain," the voice on the other end replied. "Send it through then," she replied. "Yes Captain," was the reply and then part of the back wall of the conference room changed to display a flashing message indicating that her code was required before the communication could be received. She quick typed it in on the keyboard built into the table in front of her and the screen changed to show the stern face of Admiral Mellor, current chief of operation for the outer colonies. "Admiral Mellor," Susan said as she stood and saluted him. "Captain Ivanova," he replied, although with no answering salute. He noticed the rest of the officers gathered. "Good the rest of your command staff is already present, that saves me having to wait while you summoned them." "Is something the matter Admiral," Susan asked, realising that if he wanted to talk to all of the command staff then something very bad must have happened. "It looks like there may be an unknown enemy about to invade Earth's territory. We don't have must to go on yet, just a garbled message from one of our outposts on the Narn border. But what little we have seen so far has worried us greatly. Enough to order a fleet to set out to find out what is going on exactly. If this is an invasion then we want to show a strong hand now before any more damage is done." "What about the Interstellar Alliance," Susan asked. "Have you requested assistance from them." The Admiral nodded. "We have," he replied. "Unfortunately they can not be in two places at once, and there ships are currently involved in some kind of sortie near Drazi space, so they can not assist us for a least another two weeks. Also two of their vessels have vanished somewhere close to the outpost that was attacked. This leads us to believe an alien fleet is responsible." "What do you want us to do then Admiral." "We are sending a small fleet of newly repaired destroyers to Proxima. They will meet us with your vessel and the two destroyers currently on patrol nearby. You will then proceed to the last known location of this enemy fleet and scout out the area. If it is discovered then it is to be destroyed. Earthdome wants to make it perfectly clear that no invaders will be tolerated inside our territory." "Understood Admiral," Susan said. "How long until the other destroyers arrive?" The Admiral consulted his notes. "A little over five days I believe. I will send you all the necessary information on which ships are arriving. The fleet will be under the command of Vice-Admiral Emmerton by the way." "I know her," Susan said with a quick nod to indicate she accepted the situation. "Good, I will leave you to prepare then. I know your ship is only a new, untried vessel but I want it ready for combat in five days time. We need every operation destroyer and fighter we can get at the moment, until the rest of the fleet is back up to strength." "We will do our best Admiral," Susan told him, although inside she was less than confident about the Rasputin's battle readiness. "I expect nothing less," Mellor replied. "Earthdome out." As the screen went blank Susan sat back down in her seat and looked around at her crew. "Well looks like we have some work to do then," she told them. She looked around at each officer in turn. "We don't know for sure if this ship is going to be seeing battle, but if it is then I want everyone as ready as they can be. Those crewmen involved in drills are to continue for now, unless I say otherwise. I want everyone else busy as well, even if it is only on routine maintenance. By the time Vice-Admiral Emmerton arrives I want this ship combat ready and it's crew raring to go. Understood?" "Yes Captain," they replied, almost as one. "Good," she said. "You are dismissed then, I think everyone has enough work to do to keep them busy for now. I will meet with everyone sometime tomorrow morning about individual assignments, until then just continue with what you have been working on over the past two day." As they all filed out of the room Susan could not help but feel a little anxious about what was to come. If the Admiral was right and some large alien force was attacking the Earth Alliance then she would be forced to lead her vessel into battle a lot sooner than she would have liked. There were still so many questions about the Rasputin's performance, one's she didn't have the answers for just yet. If even one thing went badly wrong then her entire crew could face death. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to recover some of the calm and determination that had filled her for the past two days. It seemed to elude her now though, as her mind began to worry about what was to come. Unable to gain any comfort from her inner thoughts Susan opened her eyes and left the room. There seemed to be an impossible amount of work to do if they wanted the Rasputin truly combat ready in time, but it was possible, as long as all of the crew worked together. ------------------------------------------------------------ "Good work Ms. Chang," Bester was saying on the vid screen in Sarah Chang's quarters. "I hadn't actually expected any results from you quite so soon. That is good work indeed. Now what do you know about this Arisia 3 planet." "Very little Sir," she replied. "The Captain did not seem to know much about it, except that it was a mining colony. She said it belonged to a friend of hers, but didn't give me a name." "I could probably find that out," Bester mused. "But it is not important. The question is why are Anderson and Kiel interested in the planet. I have the information about it up here on my screen right now and from what this says it was fairly standard class 4 world, with average quantities of Quantium-40 and high amounts of various other minerals. Nothing to get excited about though, I could probably find a hundred other world of more value." "I do not know Sir," she replied. "All I know is that Anderson's contact on Proxima knew about something called Project A3, but did not know any of the details. I am assuming that A3 is what Ivanova suspects." "Is there anything else Mr. Hill remembered of interest?" Bester asked. "Only that Anderson was paying him a lot of money to watch movements of Earth Alliance troops on Proxima and also there was something about a package." "A package." "Yes," she replied. "That was why Anderson went to see him, to pick up a small package of some kind. Hill didn't know what it was except that whatever it was Anderson thought it was important." "Interesting," Bester murmured. "I wonder what was inside." "I am afraid that knowledge is known only to Mr. Anderson Sir," Sarah said. Bester looked at her and smiled. "Then you will just have to ask him then." "Sir?" Bester's smile faded and he turned serious again. "I think you should check out this Arisia 3 to see what is there." "But Sir, what if Anderson and Kiel have defences of some kind. My shuttle isn't going to be much use if they are in a armed vessel." "I am aware of that Ms. Chang," Bester said. "I was thinking you should take a warship. The Rasputin isn't doing anything at the moment is it?" "No Sir," she replied. "But Captain Ivanova isn't going to agree to that." "Do not worry about Ivanova," Bester told her. "I will organise things with Earthdome. While I would actually prefer to use our own resources for this some of the others in Psi-Corp do not seem to see Mr. Kiel as the threat he is. So we will have to use an Earthforce vessel. At least this Arisia 3 planet is inside Earth's territory so we can investigate without any trouble. Any further and it would have been a lot more difficult." "Yes Sir," Sarah replied. "You can go and see Ivanova tomorrow and tell her your are requisitioning her vessel for Psi-Corp use. If she complains then tell her to call Earthdome and confirm the orders. Then get to Arisia 3 as soon as possible and find out what the hell Anderson is doing there. Is that understood?" Seeing Sarah nod in confirmation Bester looked pleased and said, "Good. I still have a few details to check on here, not to mention other matters to take care of or I would come and join you personally." "Have you discovered anything interesting yet Sir," Sarah asked, eager to know all the details of the investigation. "Nothing that concerns you yet Ms. Chang. I will fill you in on your return, assuming that Kiel doesn't have an entire fleet out there somewhere ready to take over the Alliance or anything like that. As soon as you complete the investigation on Arisia 3 return to Proxima and I will meet you there." "You are coming here Sir?" Bester nodded. "Yes Ms. Chang I am. As soon as I am finished up here I would like to have a few words with Mr. Hill, to explain to him the consequences of dealing with enemies of Psi-Corps." Sarah didn't think that Hill actually knew that Anderson was an enemy of Psi-Corp, and officially he wasn't yet. She almost felt sorry for the commercial telepath, realising that by the time Bester was finished with him he was going to wish he had never ever heard of Darren Anderson. "Is there anything else to report," Bester asked her. "Something about the death of Dr. Taylor perhaps." "Not yet Sir," Sarah replied. "I am still investigating that matter." "Very well Ms. Chang," Bester said. "Continue to do so while you are on your way to Arisia 3 and report to me anything interesting that you find. Bester out." With that final comment the screen went black and Sarah was left to herself again. Sighing to herself she stood up and looked at the time displayed on the screen. It was late, too late for her to go and see the Captain tonight. Besides it would take time for Bester to organise everything with Earthdome for the temporary loan of the Rasputin and her crew to Psi-Corp. She had never heard of anything like that happening before, and realised for the first just how much Bester must hate Kiel. She hadn't heard anything much about Harvey Kiel when she had been in training, only that he was an important telepath who was aiding President Clark. He was now high up on the wanted list of former Clark advisers who had fled after the president committed suicide. Psi-Corp had protected its members though, and Kiel had found some protection on Mars. The first Sarah had learnt about him was when she was assigned to watch him by Bester shortly after becoming the Psi-Cop's assistant. Most of the time the renegade seemed to do little more than tend to his garden. In her mind that didn't make someone a renegade, but Bester obviously knew what he was doing. Sarah was too tired now to think about it too much though. Scanning Hill had taken a lot out of her and putting up with Talia Winters all day had been a trial as well. For some reason her assistant had taken an immediate disliking to her and spent most of the time trying to make her life a misery. Sarah would not have minded so much if she knew the reason for the hatred, but the blonde telepath's mind was closed to her. She could sense the other woman's surface thoughts, but Talia could block any probes that tried to go further with almost no trouble at all. Sarah wondered why that was, and why Anderson had bought her here in the first place. There was something going on her that was outside her knowledge. Ms. Winters was possibly the best suspect for the murder of Bester's agent but for some reason Bester did not even consider it a possibility. All of it was more than a little suspicious to Sarah and she suspected that she was nothing more than a pawn in a much larger game, the rules of which she couldn't even comprehend. ------------------------------------------------------------ Back on Mars Bester was busy calling in every favour he could with various Admirals and Generals to allow Sarah to use the Rasputin for the mission to the Arisia system. He had even been forced to threaten blackmail to a couple of officers but finally he had been able to secure the ship for five days. It wasn't a lot but it was all that Earthforce was willing to give at the moment. Everyone in Earthdome seemed to talking about a possible invasion by an alien fleet and it had taken all his persuasion skills to get even those five days. That done at last he returned to other matters. His investigations on Mars had gone well, especially into the matter of the two dead agents of Kiel's. To his surprise both of their deaths had involved Ivanova in one way or the other. The first, the one who had died on Mars High, had been present at the short gun battle that Ivanova had also been involved in. The cause of death still wasn't confirmed, and despite his best efforts no body had been found. That led him to believe that Kiel must have sent his agent to kill someone on the station, and then after the death of the telepath involved had disposed of the body to hide the evidence of his involvement. That didn't explain why Ivanova was involved, but despite the official statement that she had nothing to do with the target of the gunmen he wasn't too sure. Unfortunately the chief of security on the station had been less that co-operative and short of doing a deep scan on the man Bester wasn't going to find out anything else there. The body of the second agent had been recovered all right, but so badly decayed due to exposure that not much was recovered. He did learn however that it was considered a Mafia killing, something about the Martian Mafia wanting him dead because he was cheating at the gambling tables. Bester wasn't sure if he believed that and after an investigation had found out that the telepath had in fact been in New Vegas to see Ivanova. Which led to the question why? While he didn't think that there was anything going on between Ivanova and Kiel, she just wasn't the type to get involved with telepath, and certainly not a former Psi-Cop, Bester had come to believe that the Rasputin's captain knew a lot more than she was telling Chang. He had considered taking a shuttle to Proxima to question her himself, but there were still other matters to take care of here on Mars, and that would have to wait for another few days until the Rasputin returned from Arisia 3. If they found Kiel and Anderson then everything would be all right, if not then he would have some serious question to ask Ivanova about her involvement in the whole affair. Bester paused in his thoughts and glanced at the framed picture sitting on his desk. A faint twinge of sadness welled up in him as he looked at Carolyn's image. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff in the Psi-Corps headquarters on Earth they still hadn't been able to remove all the shadow technology that had been inserted into her skull. They were close, and constantly promised that it would only take another few days, but they still hadn't been able to do it, at least not so that the subject would survive intact. Making a silent promise that Kiel would pay for what he had done to Carolyn, Bester rose and left his office. It may be still only early morning here on Mars but he had work to do. Somewhere, either on Mars or Arisia 3, was the secret to Kiel's plans and he intended on finding that secret and making sure that Kiel never lived to threaten someone he loved again. ------------------------------------------------------------ Sel Vecantie e-mail: vecantie@geocities.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ From: "Sel" Subject: Reunion - Chapter 13/16, Part A Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 00:49:06 +1030 Well here is the first part of Chapter 13. I was a little disappointed with this part at first, but after an extra hour of rewriting it is a lot better. This chapter goes into the plot that the evil telepaths are involved in (For a change Bester is a good guy... sort of anyway.) For earlier chapters and properly formatted and edited versions of this story see my webpage at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9933/ Spoilers: There are spoilers for all 5 season of Babylon 5 in this story, so consider yourself well and truely warned. Disclaimers: The various B5 characters that I use in my story remain the property of Waner Brothers, TNT, JMS, and whoever else wants to claim them. The rest however are the proporty of my imagination and you can do what you will with them. ------------------------------------------------------------ Reunion - Part 13 By Sel Vecantie ------------------------------------------------------------ 07:56, February 18, 2262. "What do you want," Susan demanded of the Psi-Cop as soon as she heard the telepath's footsteps on the carpet of her office. Susan had tried to concentrate on her work, but just as she was beginning to enjoy herself, well as least was well as one could when you were working on routine reports, the Psi-Cop had arrived. She tried to concentrate on the reports on her desk and not allow the telepath to feel the annoyance she was experiencing inside. "I need to discuss something with you Captain," Sarah replied, taking one of the three seats on the other side of the Captain's desk. Then she hesitated for a moment wondering how Susan had know it was her, when the Captain had still been occupied with the pile of reports on her desk. "And what might that be Ms. Chang?" Susan said, still not looking up from her work. "Do you need more information about Arisia 3, because if you do I have already told you everything I know about that world." "No it is not that Captain," Sarah answered, sounding more than a little hesitant to continue further. Susan looked up at last from the report she was reading and glared at the telepath. "Well what is it then?" The Psi-Cop hesitated a while longer before the angry glare the Rasputin's Captain was giving her motivated her response. "I need this ship to take me to Arisia 3." Susan would have laughed if she didn't realise that the telepath sitting in front of her was serious. Instead she just tried to hide her amusement behind a deepening frown. "Well you can't have it," she replied curtly and returned her attention to the data pad currently in her hand. "I am afraid that Psi-Corp has made an official request to Earthforce that you assist me in my investigation," Sarah informed Ivanova, the young Psi-Cop's confidence growing slowly with every word. "In fact I have just had word back from Mr. Bester that Earthforce command has agreed to his request and signed your vessel over to me for the next five days." Susan looked up again and stared at the Psi-Cop as if to try and determine if she was telling the truth or not. Finally Susan said, "I have other orders I am afraid Ms. Chang. I have heard nothing about this from Earthforce." "You orders have been changed Captain," Sarah replied, a little harsh that she had intended. The Captain's attitude though was beginning to annoy her and Sarah's next words came out sounding haughty and disdainful. "If you contact Earthforce you will find out that what I have told you is correct. I suggest you call them at once, I have no intention waiting around for half a day, wasting what little time I have." The Psi-Cop's tone though was nothing new to Susan, in fact it was exactly what she would have expected. She just stared back at Sarah, her gaze withering, letting the Psi-Cop know exactly what she t