From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 20:10:07 -0700 Redheaded Telepath Chapters 1-3 of 23 (so far) This was written in WordPerfect 6.1 , but is formatted as dos text. It was formatted to allow proper viewing with the standard MSDOS editor, however, any ASCII text editor should suffice. This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter I It was early in the morning and sleep wasn't going to come easily. Worry of a sorts played on her mind. The confrontation with Captain Sheridan was fresh in her mind and she wondered what would happen when he found out what abilities she really possessed. He was upset about the Z'ha'dum experience. It was the least of what was left over from the Vorlons. She shuddered to think of what Lorien had done to enable her to block the new Vorlon ambassador when Sheridan had taken him out. "Lorien, will this guarantee that I can block Kosh", queried Lyta. "It will suffice, however, in order to accomplish it, I have had to make more changes than I first thought," came the measured reply. "The Vorlons made some extensive changes to your synapses in order to accommodate their needs." "Just how extensive," she asked. "Very ," responded Lorien. "With the modifications and enhancements I am making, you will one day be very formidable." Laying back in a relaxed position Lyta was almost asleep as the First One placed his long fingers on her head and rubbed gently. It felt so good. As he worked Lorien said, " just relax and think of pleasant things." Hours, or was it days, later she awoke feeling better than she had in years. "Is this all there is to it?" she inquired. She felt so at peace with herself she could even like Bester. Yecch! Where did that thought come from. "Are we ready?" "As much as we can be," replied Lorien. "Lyta you must understand that with the changes I had to make, you will be learning about yourself for the rest of your life." "Is that good or bad?" "It will be what you make of it." "Lorien, I know it is late in the asking, but with all these changes will I still be human enough to have children?" this said with a sigh. Lorien replied, "if you wish and now we must return to the war room." The plan played out as Sheridan and Lorien had figured and the new Kosh was eliminated. [see Falling Toward Apotheosis']. The combined changes by the Vorlons and Lorien probably explain why the Vorlons and Shadows could channel so much power through Lyta without frying her brain. [see Into the Fire']. She was thinking about calling Ambassador Delenn when the communications panel beeped. "Lyta Alexander here," she said. "Lyta, this is Ambassador Delenn, could I see you?" "Of course," she responded, "when?" "Now." Ten minutes later Ambassador Delenn was sitting in Lyta's quarters with a worried expression on her face. "What can I do for you, Ambassador?" "Lyta, I heard what happened between you and John after we got back from Z'ha'dum last time. I know you can say no, but I need to know." Lyta recounted the conversation with Sheradin. "The worst part is that I could have told him and fixed it so Bester would not have found out even if he scanned the captain." With a startled look Delenn said, "you could WHAT?" What followed was a short form of her time and conversations with Lorien when she was being prepared to set up the new Kosh. In a low voice Lyta said, "I did not know this at the time. It wasn't until after the Captain chewed on me that I began thinking of something Bester said on the way to Z'ha'dum. He said, "you have been blocking me ever since I got here. A good question is why. A better question is how." I didn't realize until later that I wasn't consciously blocking him." It seems that there were other things going on. The captain assumed that it would take a very powerful telepath to do what I did and not be noticed by Bester. That is only part of it." From Delenn, "since as you humans say the other shoe is about to hit the floor, just what is it." "Do you know where the captain is?" "No. Why?" responded Delenn "Close your eyes and think of him," asked Lyta. At first the ambassador saw only darkness while thoughts of John drifted through her mind. Mentally she said, "John?" Delenn almost jumped off the couch when she heard John's voice answer, "Delenn, is that you? Where are you?" In his office in C&C the captain almost fell out of his chair when he heard the crystal clear voice of his beloved call his name. In response he answered instinctively. He looked up ,but he was alone except for Ivonava who had come in only a minute before. "Captain, are you alright?" asked the commander. "Yes. I thought I heard Delenn call me." "John, we are alone, maybe you should call it a day." "John, tell Ivonava I heard that and you are perfectly alright," came the voice in his head. " tell her she has a thread loose on her left cuff." Looking like he had been hit by a bolt of lightning Sheridan asked, "Ivonava could you leave me alone for a few minutes?" "Sure captain, let me know when you are ready to continue," she said as she turned to leave. "Delenn?" "Yes John." "Delenn, where you? "I am with Lyta Alexander" "Where?" "In her quarters. John I think you should come here and bring Ivonava with you." Exiting his office Sheridan told Ivonava about Delenn's request ,but not how he received it. In the turbolift Ivonava asked, "does this have anything to do with what happened in your office." His only response was, "yes." The rest of the way they walked in silence. At Lyta's quarters the door opened just as they arrived, as if someone had seen them arrive. Entering Lyta's quarters the first thing out of the captain's mouth was an inquiry, "I suppose there is a good explanation for why we are here at this time of night?" With a voice that was odd for her Delenn simply said, "yes." A bolt of intense surprise and a smidgen of fear shot through Sheridan as he found himself looking at himself from what had to be Delenn's point of view. Shaking, He sat down next to Delenn. Ivonava sat down in a chair near Lyta and watched everything dumbfounded. From Ivonava, "John, are you alright." Sheridan replied, "I think so. Would someone tell me what I just experienced." Delenn looking first at Sheridan then at Lyta, "John, Lyta has some things to tell you from her work with Lorien. Lyta it is, as you humans say, your show." Lyta responded, "okay, but I am not so sure about the human part of it. Captain, Ivonava..."and told them what she had told Delenn earlier. "I have been working hard for the last few weeks trying to make heads or tails of some of the things that have been happening to me. It seems that I keep doing things without understanding how. I am wondering if this is what Lorien meant. It's like piloting a shuttle, you do it ,but you don't know how to design and build one. I seem to instinctively know how ,but not why." "Can you explain how I could hear Delenn when I was in C&C and what happened just now?" queried the captain. "Sort of. You were sensitive to Kosh and even carried part of him inside you for some time. I have carried Kosh many times. I am sensitive to you. I can hear your thoughts all over the station. It is not a scan. It is more like listening to a transmitter with a receiver. I have erected a block to keep it out. I have determined that the reason I did not sense you at Z'ha'dum is that Lorien was blocking me or anyone else for that matter. I simply projected her thoughts into you and vice versa, sort of," said Lyta sounding much like a frightened little girl. Sheridan, "no scanning was involved?" "No. Ivonava, you can detect if you are being scanned, correct?" Ivonava, "yes." "Ivonava, John, Delenn each of you think of anything you wish for a moment,"said Lyta in a hesitant voice. ..."John, you shouldn't worry about the future you saw, it can be changed. Delenn, what Lorien told you about John is not written in stone. Ivonava, Jason loves you very much but he is afraid to say so," John and Delenn not being telepaths could not tell if they had been scanned and looked at Ivonava. "She didn't scan us captain, not even lightly," Ivonava responded to the unspoken question and almost jumped out of her skin when she realized she was seeing everything from first the captain's perspective then Delenn's and finally Lyta's. "Ivonava, what is wrong?" asked Sheridan. Ivonava explained what had just happened and looked wide-eyed at Lyta. "You did that and never scanned me in any way. How? "As I said before I am not sure. It seems to be no effort with those to whom I am close. As if that wasn't enough watch." Ivonava, Sheridan and Delenn found themselves looking at the gaming tables in the casino in the Zoccolo as if they were standing amongst the patrons. A minute later they were back in Lyta's quarters. All eyes were on Lyta. With the look of someone truly frightened to the bone, Lyta said hesitantly, "now, captain do you see why I am scared. I don't know what I am capable of and the thought that I could hurt someone and maybe not be aware of it is frightening." With that she caused the table in front of Sheridan to rise about half a meter and float. If Sheridan's, Delenn's and Ivonava's jaws could have dropped any further it would have been physically painful. The captain's mouth worked ,but nothing came out. Looking at Lyta with a shocked expression on his face Captain Sheridan asked, "have you been checked out by Doctor Franklin recently." "No." "Will you consent to a complete medical workup?" "Only if the records are deleted from the computer after we are finished." Lyta replied. " I will notify Doctor Franklin first thing in the morning. Goodnight." saying that the captain and the others left. In the passageway well away from Lyta's quarters, the captain looked at Ivonava and asked, "were we ever scanned back there?" From Ivonava, "no sir, she didn't do any scanning and she still knew what we were thinking. Captain what do we make of seeing things on the Zoccolo. I am beginning to fret about what Lorien really did to her." "John, are you or Ivonava afraid of what we just witnessed," asked Delenn. John, "no. But I think I see why Lyta is afraid. Lorien left her with abilities that may be beyond our imagination and she doesn't know what they are or what she can do with them. I am very interested in the results of this medical Steven is going to give her. Remember what he found in me. Ivonava, how do you feel about this?" "Captain you know how I feel about telepaths. I have grown to like and trust Lyta ,but this gives me the willies. She can read you and not even scan. I have never heard of that before." referring to the table incident, "she wasn't telekinetic before." Back in his quarters John looked at Delenn, "just before we took out the new Kosh, Lorein said, "you have never seen an enraged Vorlon. They are more powerful than you can possibly imagine." Lyta just demonstrated telepathic abilities I have never heard of before in any species and she did it without even giving it a first thought much less a second. I wonder if she might even be able to kill someone with only a thought." "John, she is like a little girl who is terrified by the unknown. The problem is she is the unknown, let us wait and see what Steven finds." Chapter II Lyta walked into Med-lab and into Doctor Franklin's office. "Good morning Miss Alexander, the captain said you would be coming in." "Doctor, please call me Lyta and I am ready to start whenever you are." "You know this may take several days." "Yes. I don't have anywhere to be, so let's get to it." Franklin ran every kind of physical and psychological test he had available on her. It took the whole week but , he was finally finished. After recording all the results in data crystals, he deleted all traces of the files from the Med-lab computers as Sheridan had directed. He called the captain and let him know the results were ready. Franklin and Lyta entered C&C and crossed to the captain's office, on the way the doctor noticed that several of the male members of the watch openly stared at Lyta. She wasn't dressed in the severe leather outfit with her hair pulled back, instead she had on a nice fitting light blue blouse and trousers of some very thin comfortable Membari cloth that Delenn had made for her. Her dazzling red hair was down and set her whole appearance off . If physical appearances could cripple, Lyta's could kill today. Stunning wasn't the right word. The effect even made the captain stare when she and Franklin entered his office. Still staring Captain Sheridan asked, "what do you have for me, Steven." An hour later the captain was looking at Lyta as he asked, "just what do the negative brain scans mean? You are telling me she checks out as in better than perfect health physically ,but her brain scans show no activity?" "No captain, what I said was all we see on our scanners is noise. We tried to see at the synapse level but they don't look like anything we have ever seen before. If I had to hazard a guess I' d say she has changes similar to the telepaths we have in cryo' only hers are so advanced beyond theirs that theirs look almost simple in comparison. Hers incorporates no physical technology that we can detect," replied the doctor. Sheridan looked at Lyta. "Well." Sitting up in her best imitation of a prim and proper little girl she replied, "captain, last week I told you as much as I knew. Since then I have been having dreams in which I seem to be discussing my plight with Lorien. In the dreams I am assured that my moral restrictions are such that I have an automatic limiter on how hard I strike out at someone. I have had thoughts of Bester that were stronger than I would have thought possible. It had the effect of shutting down my telepathic receiving abilities until the worst of my anger dissipated." "So you won't trash someone out of hand." "Captain, I would not have done something like that before and, no, I will not do it now. However, that leaves a lot of leeway." "Captain, there was something else we discovered by accident. with Lyta's permission we repeated it and recorded it." The doctor played another data crystal. It showed the doctor purposely making a small cut in Lyta's right arm. The cut only bled enough to fill the wound and immediately coagulated. Ten minutes later the wound was gone and nothing remained to show it had ever existed. Sheridan looked at Lyta. She gave a little shrug of her shoulders that said, "do not ask me." "Talk to me Steven. I am having difficulty grasping this. The tests showed that her IQ had gone up considerably. How do you explain that?" "I can't. There is one item that I did not record. A little boy was brought in with a broken arm. After we scanned the injury and while I was preparing a prescription, Lyta put her hand on the boys arm and helped settle him down. When we went to set his arm it didn't appear to be broken any longer. I had his arm rescanned. The break wasn't there anymore. I destroyed the records of the scan. I put his arm in a cast anyway to hide what had happened. The cast will be removed in a few days and no one will be the wiser." Sheridan looked at Lyta again. This time his eyes had a wary appearance to them. Lyta only shook her head sideways. "Steven you are telling me that with no effort she can heal wounds, scan the whole station simultaneously, block a P-12 psi-cop, and send a telepathic signal across light-years of space, not to mention that she is smarter than before." "Apparently." Lyta, "captain I might explain some of it ,but Lorien said that I would need a lifetime to completely understand what I am or will become. I am beginning to think it will take an incredibly long lifetime." "What am I supposed to do about this, Lyta?" inquired Sheridan. "The safest thing to do would be to kill me if you still can, captain. If I take Lorien at his word it seems that I can already do things neither the Vorlons or Shadows can. Remember Lorien said that I would become very formidable. Just what would the oldest First One consider formidable," Lyta replied in a voice that was slow, matter of fact, and completely devoid of any trace of emotion. "Captain people on the station already hate and fear me because of my involvement with the Vorlons. If they find out about this they will totally flip out." From the doorway came the low quiet voice of Delenn, "there will not be any killing, John. From what I have already observed it would be an exercise in futility anyway. I agree with Lyta, what would the oldest First One consider formidable?" Sticking her head in the doorway just behind Delenn, Ivonava asked, "Lyta, can you come to my quarters after you are finished here?" Lyta nodded in response. Saying, "if no one has any more questions let's call it a night." Looking tired as he came from behind his desk, Sheridan took Delenns offered arm and walked out into C&C on his way home . "I will be off watch in an hour and a half," Ivonava said to Lyta as she was leaving C&C. Lyta nodded in response and for the first time noticed the starving stares she was getting from the male watchstanders. She smiled, warmly, and a feeling of pure ecstasy momentarily washed over the young men. Chapter III Standing in front of Ivonava's quarters Lyta waited a moment before pressing the buzzer button on the panel next to the door. The door opened and there stood the commander in a shimmering electric blue nightgown. "Hi, you wanted to see me?" Stepping back Ivonava invited Lyta into her quarters. She motioned Lyta to have a seat and went to her bar cabinet and made herself a drink. She asked Lyta if she would like one. There was a look of utter surprise on Lyta's face. She nodded yes. Susan made the drinks, handed one to Lyta and sat down on her sofa. She took a sip and regarded the telepath for a full minute. "You were surprised that I offered you a drink. How could I surprise you? You said that you could hear people even non-telepaths as if they were broadcasting." "Yes, it is not the normal way people treat me and yes to the second part. As for you surprising me, I have learned how to tune out individual thoughts like you tune out the background noise in C&C. Just because I can hear someone's thoughts does not give me carte blanche to listen in. I would not want it done to me." "I overheard your recommendation options to the captain. You healed a broken arm with a touch. Yet, you told the captain he should kill you while he still can. Do you think that you really that dangerous?" "Yes. You can not possibly imagine what it is like to heal someone with only a thought." There was a chime from the doorway. "Come in Delenn." The door opened and the Minbari ambassador entered. She took a seat on the couch and Ivonava offered her a cup of tea. She accepted and took a sip. Lyta look at both women and observed, "this is not a social occasion is it?" Delenn looked her straight in the eyes and said, "no, this is about John." Lyta said nothing and waited for her to continue. "You know about John at Z'ha'dum and Lorien's efforts to save his life?" Lyta nodded. "What you do not know is that Lorien said he could only give him twenty years of his life back." Lyta nodded again, took a sip of her drink and said nothing. "Doctor Franklin said he found things in John that were repairing him and keeping him going. Lorien said it was only the application of energy and that he had used his life force to give John those twenty years. He said he did the best he could. The young boy with the broken arm, you did not use your own energy to heal him did you?" "No, I only made it possible for his own body to heal itself. Why?" "John does not know I am here. I think he would be furious if he did." "Let me guess, you think because of the extent of the captains injuries, the short time available, and possible lack of knowledge of humans did not let Lorien do as good a job as he might if he had more time." "Yes." "What do you want me to do?" "Would you work with Doctor Franklin and John to see if you could finish what Lorien started." "Does either Doctor Franklin or the captain know about any of this?" "No. I will discuss it with Steven in the morning. I think he will want to try just for the knowledge to be gained." Ivonava, "it could be useful in learning how to help the telepaths in cryo'. Not to change the subject ,but since you don't need to scan to read anyone's thoughts, what is it like when you do scan?" "It depends on who I am scanning. Do you want me to do a very light scan on you?" "Yes, I want to know if I can sense you." Lyta took another sip of her drink and shifted to a more comfortable position. "You can start anytime you want." "I already finished. You hate Psi-corps and all it stands for especially Bester whom you blame for your mother's death." "You actually actively scanned me!?" Yes." "I didn't feel anything. Let me get my blocks up first." Nodding Lyta took another sip and smiled a silly little girl smile. Ivonava said, "ready anytime." Lyta stood up and took her glass and set on the shelf; turned and told Ivonava about her relationship with her family and her feelings about not being able to go to her father's funeral. Ivonava looked like she had been hit with aboard. "I did not feel it at all," came her shocked response. "There are several telepaths on Babylon 5 and I have been practicing scanning them. They are not aware of it any more than you were. They had blocks up also. It does not seem to matter." Delenn asked, "Lyta just how powerful are you? P-12? What?" "Ambassador the what' is appropriate. I have no way of knowing. While blocking Bester I accidentally scanned him through his blocks as if they weren't there. To me he is, as he likes to call Michael Garabaldi, a mundane. I think if I got really angry I could hurt him very badly. The problem is things like that don't bother me anymore. It is not worth the effort, little as that would be. Ivonava, if you wish I can fix it so no one can sense your telepathic ability anymore and you won't be able to block. No one except me will ever again be able to read your mind. Not even a Vorlon." "Ambassador, when I was in trouble and danger you were my friend, you and the captain have sacrificed much. I will try to do as you ask, but no promises about results. It would be better if the captain does not know. He is very afraid of me. He sees me as a power beyond control. I know this because he feels so strongly about it I have trouble completely blocking him out when we are in the same room. His carrying Kosh almost makes us sort of soul mates. Ivonava, "it is similar to how I described me and my mother to John. That may be what frightens him." Lyta, in a small voice, "I would never do anything to harm him. Nor will I allow anyone else." "Delenn, we need to discuss how we can do what you ask? Let's talk to Doctor Franklin in the morning." Thoughtfully, Ivonava said, "do you think anything could ever be done for Talia Winters?" "I honestly don't know. I will keep it in mind." The women talked for another hour. Before Delenn and Lyta took their leave, Lyta projected into their minds all the horrors she had undergone at the hands of Psicorps. She wanted them to appreciate where she had come from. The looks on both their faces were a reflection of those memories. They understood. Next day in Med-lab Lyta and Delenn had a very long discussion with Doctor Franklin about the how and when for starting to work on Captain Sheridan. The doctor suggested that Lyta read as much as possibly about human physiology and latest surgical techniques. She suggested a shortcut that the shocked doctor. She explained exactly what she needed to do and promised not look at any personal memories. "Doctor Franklin I can do this while you sleep. You will think it is all a dream. It can save much time and I will get the benefit of your first hand knowledge about the telepaths and our technical limitations." Steven look skeptical. He wasn't sure about any of this. He would do it for the captain and Lyta had proven that she detested to the extreme the idea of scanning anyone. She had also saved their collective butts before. That night the doctor had the most relaxing refreshing sleep he could remember in years. Damn, he felt good. He even whistled on the way to Med-lab. He met Lyta in the passageway and smiled. He related his well being and asked when she would begin the scans. It seemed she already had. She explained that to get the most out of the scanning she had made efforts to relieve the mental strain he had been under for the last few months. It makes for more efficient scanning. She took data crystals from Doctor Franklin to fill in on knowledge and techniques that were not part of his training and experience. She was wearing another of the outfits Delenn had given her today and to be truthful she enjoyed the looks she was getting lately. She figured that people, especially men, would find it harder to hate someone who was very attractive. It was a good move. On her way back to her quarters she strolled through the Zoccolo. Garibaldi was sitting in front of a cafe having what appeared to be breakfast. As he saw her approach he motioned for her to join him. His thoughts were obvious even to a non-telepath. Sitting down she said, "good morning Mr. garabaldi." Garibaldi nodded and said through a mouthful of food, "call me Michael, please." Lyta ordered coffee and a pastry. The signals she got from Garibaldi were disturbing. While she had never scanned him in the past she had been close enough to get a general feeling for him. Something wasn't quite right. "Michael, how have you been lately. It has been a while since I last saw you." Thoughtfully he answered, "I've been getting by. It takes time to build a clientele. What brings you through here? You aren't the most popular person on the station." "I know. I just had to get out. Looking at the walls in my quarters gets old rather quickly. Besides hiding out won't change any opinions." "Aren't you a little afraid that someone might want to get even for things that have happened. You weren't responsible, Lyta. I don't think it matters to some. They just want their justice." "Well, I will not hide." Garibaldi couldn't help noticing just how good Lyta looked. He had not thought about her that way before. She was one of the nicest people he had ever met and had up to now thought of her as a sort of little sister. He felt a little guilty. He noticed that she had a comm badge on the back of her left hand. She explained that the captain gave it to her because of the feelings about her in some quarters. They traded small talk while he finished his breakfast. Getting up he took his leave. She finished her coffee and pastry while slowly looking over the people all around her. Except for some looks of honest appreciation and pure lust nobody seemed to notice her. Finally she got up to leave. Since she had her perceptions restrained she didn't notice the one stranger who seemed to glare at her back. more to follow. From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 20:22:22 -0700 Redheaded Telepath Chapters 4-6 of 23 (so far) This was written in WordPerfect 6.1 , but is formatted as dos text. It was formatted to allow proper viewing with the standard MSDOS editor, however, any ASCII text editor should suffice. This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter IV Sitting behind his desk in C&C Sheridan looked expectantly at Delenn, Ivonava, and Steven. They simply looked back. "Okay, who's first." Ivonava started, "captain it seems that no one has seen Lyta in almost three months." "Maybe she went off station. After all we don't exactly have her on a lease." Steven interrupted,, "she was getting prepared to work with me on the problem of the telepaths in cryo'. I gave her a mountain of data crystals and had the computer boys give her a direct link from her quarters to the Med-lab computers and other equipments. She wanted access to the cryo' units and I gave it to her." "Is she using it?" "Yes. Almost continuously. If she is in her quarters, I am wondering when she sleeps. There doesn't seem to be more than a few minutes between her accesses. You know she scans me to get data to fill any gaps she finds in the crystals." "Has it been a problem?" "Not at all. She gets rid of my mental tension just before she scans me. Matter of fact that's how I know when she is going to scan me. I get a tremendous feeling of well-being that lasts for hours. It's better than drugs." "Steven are you becoming addicted to her scans?" asked Delenn. "No. It doesn't have that type of feel to it. It is just so very relaxing." "Delenn?" "It is what she does when she must scan anyone. It makes it easier and doesn't traumatize the person being scanned." Sheridan, "Ivonava." "She has made it possible for me to get the first really restful sleep in years. She says in my case there is no scanning being done ,but I am not sure I believe her." "Why?" "Captain there are things in my background that I haven't ever been able to face head on. Lately, I have been able to face them and come to terms with them. They don't frighten or depress me anymore. I couldn't have done this on my own." "Do you mean the memories are different?" "No. They are the exactly the same. I just feel differently about them. It's as if I can see how I reacted to them before. I just don't feel the same way about them anymore. John, I have dreamed that I was visited by members of my family and friends and that I have discussed all this with them and come to terms with each and everyone of them. Some of them are dead. If it isn't Lyta, who then.?" "Are you afraid or angry." "Neither, just a little bit confused. I have to admit I sleep better and I don't seem to bite people quite as quickly or as hard. The watch section seems to be more relaxed now when I am around. I thought I was losing my edge." Delenn added, " it has been happening with me also. I can't describe it. Things just don't seem to be so harried lately. I have been dreaming that my old mentor has been helping me meditate and understand myself better. Do you really think Lyta is responsible?" "I don't know. How would we prove it? Ask her?" Dr. Franklin shifted in his seat. "What's on your mind Steven?" "If Lyta is responsible, what should we do? She isn't exactly Psicorps anymore. She hasn't hurt anyone." "John, we don't know if she did it. As far as I am concerned the results for me have been very desirable. I feel more confident and content than I have since before the Earth-Minbari war." At that moment, with no warning, Draal appeared in the office and addressed the captain, "could we speak together captain?" "In my cabin in fifteen minutes, if that is okay by you?" "That will be fine. Your guests are welcome, also." with that he vanished again. Delenn asked, "Steven how is the fugitive telepath doing?" "Just fine he doesn't mind taking the drugs to suppress his scanning ability. In fact he says he got terrible headaches before he started taking it." "Does Lyta know he is on the station?" "She knows. Why do you think he was having headaches. I didn't tell him why. I think that is how she kept him from scanning anyone after he first came aboard the station. The harder he tried to scan the worse the headaches became." "Well, we have an appointment with Draal. Everyone, my quarters in fifteen minutes." Holding his comm link up to his mouth, "Sheridan to Lyta Alexander." "Yes?" "Would you report to me in my cabin in fifteen minutes?" "Yes sir." Fifteen minutes later everyone including Lyta was seated in various locations in the captains quarters. Draal appeared in a bright flash of light. "Draal loves to make an entrance," quipped Delenn. In a voice that seemed to boom Draal said, "captain you and your friends have some grave misgivings about what Miss Alexander has been doing for the last three months. It is to be expected. She has been working very closely with me and Doctor Franklin her every waking hour. That has been twenty four hours a day non-stop." "Draal, no human can go three months without sleep." "That is correct captain, nevertheless, she has. In fact calling her down here has interfered with some data that she was assimilating." "Assimilating. Exactly what do you mean?" "Captain she has learned all that was on the data crystals that the good doctor gave her and used light scans on him to fill in gaps in the crystal data. She has been doing extensive deep scans on the telepaths that are in cryo'. She has been using the great machine to access records on a dozen different planets. Her efforts with each of you was an attempt to let you function at your peak efficiency. It seems to have been successful. The efficiency of each of you has increased without any extra effort, your troops are working better as a team, each of you sleep better and feel better. What is the problem? Don't you trust her?" The captain and the others all looked at Lyta. She simply smiled. There were attempts to all talk at once. Lyta asked, "why didn't anyone tell me when the telepath came aboard? You do know he is a very high P-12. He is even more powerful that Bester." Franklin, "we didn't know that when we helped him escape Psicorps. Are you responsible for his headaches?" "Yes. You can take him off the drug. I will keep him from scanning anyone." Sheridan, "could he be a plant? Like Talia Winters?" "Yes. I can scan him and know for sure. He will not be able to hide anything. If we have one like Talia again, I can sense it. You wouldn't be able to hide it from me. I will not scan him without his permission unless you can prove he is a danger to the station." Sheridan replied, "agreed. Steven you can handle this." with that the doctor took his leave. Lyta also left. Sheridan asked, of those still there, "did I hear something in Lyta's voice when she mentioned the telepath?" "Yes, John, there was. Have you seen him." "Captain, he is about 1.9 meters tall, weighs 95 kilos, thirty years of age and looks the worse for wear," said Ivonava and pulled up a head and shoulders shot of him from security files. What was looking at him from the screen was a roughened lined face that with some imagination could be regarded as handsome. The appreciative looks that both Delenn and Ivonava shared as they looked at the presentation spoke volumes. "Okay, he isn't a bad looking man. What interest could Lyta possibly have in him." With a boom to his voice Drall said, "captain!" and vanished. Sheridan looked from Delenn to Ivonava, "did I miss something?" "John, only everything," came Delenn's reply. Ivonava asked, "captain describe me, please, then Delenn." He did accurately, she as a beautiful, female human, commander. Delenn as very attractive, Minbari-human female hybrid." When asked what else, he alluded to his relationship with Delenn and the fact that Ivonava was not involved with anyone at the present time. Delenn, "John, now describe Lyta." He did as a telepath. Delenn, " John, you think of her as an "it". As you say telepath. You don't think of her as a female or human. She is a tool to be used when needed and not thought of otherwise." Ivonava, "Delenn is right captain. You treat Lyta like a mechanic treats his tools. Use them when necessary and put them away until you need them again. She is always isolated when we don't need her. I sometimes wonder why she even bothers." "Is there some point to this?" At the door as she was leaving she turned and said, "yes." "John, when you were planning to move against Kosh, you told Mr. Garibaldi you left him out of planning sessions to prevent Kosh from reading anything of the plans in his mind if he scanned him. Lyta did the same to us about what she was going to do when Bester went to Z'ha'dum. It was valid when you did it to Mr. Garibaldi, it was valid when she did it to us. The rushed evacuation of Z'ha'dum and the forcing of the Shadows' helpers to leave most of the Shadow technology behind may eventually save us in the future. Did we want to face that technology again?" "So, you are saying I owe her an apology?" "No, she has already been very properly dressed down. You don't apologize to a screwdriver. Why should you apologize to her?" Then, standing on tip toes, Delenn kissed him and said, "goodnight John." Alone now, the captain pulled up all the information in the security files on the new man. He was an interesting fellow; and judging by a full length shot of him, the description Ivonava had given and the headshot photo had not done him justice. He still couldn't see why Lyta was interested in him. He thought of how she had been dressed the last time he saw her before tonight. It had been almost three months. She had been wearing an outfit Delenn gave her. Some kind of dressy getup. She had not been dressed up tonight. She had been dressed as usual when she expected to perform some duty. She wore the severe leather outfit with her hair pulled up short in a manner that looked almost painful. Remembering how he had summoned her over the comm link, it was obvious she had come expecting to be trashed. Making himself a drink he sat on the couch and began to think of things that had transpired over the last year or so. He was remembering when she had come aboard to warn them of the sleeper agent. She had only given a very short explanation of what had happened to her after she scanned Kosh and was taken back to earth. He tried to imagine what it was like to be ruthlessly interrogated by Psicorps. They wanted information she didn't have. With no one to protect her, what kind of hell had they put her through? He shuddered at the thought. To call it a living nightmare of the worst kind wouldn't be right. It hadn't been a nightmare. It had been real. She was almost killed trying to get to Babylon 5 to warn them about a sleeper agent. She was almost killed on the station and after exposing the sleeper, she had to run for her life again. She had put her life on the line to help them learn about the weakness of the Shadow battlecruisers. She had put her life and sanity on the line when she, Ivonava and Delenn had come looking for him at Z'ha'dum. She damn sure had it on the line when she set Kosh up to be taken out. She had blocked Bester when asked to do so. As Delenn had said she might even have saved them much death and heartache in the future by what she did at Z'ha'dum this time. She had been properly rewarded by being threatened with being turned over to Psicorps. As he thought about this it occurred to him that Ivonava and Delenn were correct. He only missed everything. The fact that she came to his quarters ready to be trashed again made it painfully obvious that she did not scan him or the others. She was as good as her word. Chapter V Next day in Med-lab Doctor Franklin informed the telepath he was taking him off the drug he was using to suppress his telepathy. He explained that it was not necessary anymore. He also warned him that the headaches might return if he tried to scan people. As the man was thanking the doctor for his help Lyta Alexander came breezing through the door. She was dressed in another of the ensembles Delenn had given her. The flaming red hair was back down and the well fitting light powder blue clothing brought out her best features. If one didn't know Lyta had no desire for fashion, one could believe she meant for the men on the station to drool until they died from dehydration. Cheerily, "good morning Doctor Franklin. Am I late?" Steven was wondering late for what?' but only replied, "no. I am just finishing with Mr. Blaine. Mr. Blaine may I introduce you to Miss Lyta Alexander, our resident staff telepath." Emphasizing the miss'. Mister Blaine responded by staring. Finally he said, "pleased to meet you Miss Alexander, my first name is Paul. I didn't know Babylon 5 had a resident telepath." "Actually Mr. Blaine it is an unofficial title. I am only a P-5 rating so my usefulness is very limited and you can call me Lyta," responded Lyta. Blaine could not help himself, she was beautiful, he unconsciously tried to scan her. He didn't get a headache ,but he might as well have been scanning a black hole. Shocked, he realized that he sensed absolutely nothing. This rattled him as he was leaving Med-lab. "What did you mean by am I late'," queried Franklin. Looking Lyta up and down. He had to admit you couldn't miss her. "I just wanted to get a look at the competition, Steven. That was the telepath no one told me about?" "Lyta, the day a telepath comes aboard this station and you don't know about it before I do I'm going to be on the first ship home. Well, you looked what is your opinion?" "He will do quite nicely." "For what?" Lyta just gave him a very smug smile and left. Lyta left Med-lab and strolled toward the Zoccolo she was in no particular hurry. She even stopped along the way and did some window shopping. She was beginning to feel really good. She had never tried to have a relationship with a man before and that gave her a mild case of butterflies-in-the-stomach. Upon reaching the Zoccolo area she sat down at a table in front of a bar/restautant and ordered fruit juice and a small salad. She wasn't hungry ,but it gave her an excuse to sit and watch the people go by. She was thinking that she should do this more often. It would be more enjoyable to share the experience with either Delenn or Ivonava. Funny how small her circle of friends was. She supposed when all was said and done she was fortunate to have even those two. She really liked Zack Allen ,but it didn't work out. She thought of him as a sort of brother. That wasn't what Zack had in mind, however, he accepted it with good grace. She felt sure that someone would pass through and latch onto him. He was a good man. Looking around she spotted the new telepath, Paul Blaine he said his name was. Maybe he would notice her and invite himself over. One always had hope. Without warning Captain Sheridan seemed to come out of nowhere and seated himself across the table from her. "Lyta we are going to move you to other quarters where we can keep a closer eye on you. Where you're living now makes it next to impossible to watch you. Your belongings will be moved later this morning and Commander Ivonava will let you know exactly where your new quarters are." He noted a look of mild surprise on her face and continued, "do you have a problem with that?" She could feel fear and apprenhension exude from him and blocked it out with difficulty. If he was this afraid of her she could be in for a very rough time. Her memories of the Psicorps interrogation were burned into her brain and his threats of a few months ago made all her alarm bells go off . In a very quiet careful voice she replied, "no sir." Sheridan got up and left without another word. He momentarily wondered about the look of surprise on her face. He also wondered how a telepath of her abilities could be surprised by anyone. He let it pass and continued on his way. Today was going to be another pain in the ..... Lyta sent one thought to Epsilon III, "Draal!" and no longer interested in what she had been thinking and doing she left her table and walked to one of the public comm units and called Ambassador Delenn's quarters. Delenn answered almost immediately. "Ambassador Delenn, how may I be of service?" "Ambassador, this is Lyta Alexander. I think I need another favor. Could I see you for a few minutes?" "Of course. You know where my quarters are." Shortly Delenn heard her doorbell chime. "Come in." The door opened and Lyta walked in. "Ambassador I need to get to Epsilon III. Could I get someone to run me down there in your shuttle." Taken aback Delenn asked, "are you in trouble again?" "Ambassador, I don't know, but I have reason to believe I am in danger." She projected her encounter with the captain into Delenn's mind. Delenn didn't know what was going on, but based on what Lyta had just shown her she had reason to be afraid and John was what she had a right to be afraid of. Asking Delenn to store the ensombles she had given her as gifts, Lyta waited with one small suitcase for her to make the arrangements. Thirty minutes later after getting clearance to depart, Delenn's shuttle cleared Babylon 5 and headed toward Epsilon III. Captain Sheridan walked into C&C just as the shuttle made its turn and moved away from the station. "Commander, where is Delenn's shuttle going?" "She didn't say, captain. It looks like she is going down to Epsilon III." "She didn't say why?" "No sir." "And you didn't ask her?" "No sir. She is an ambassador and to be honest I don't have any right to ask." "Sorry, I'll just have to wait until she returns. Did Lyta Alexander contact you about her new quarters assignment? Where did you put her?" "No sir. Just down the passageway from me. They are really nice, too. The last thing we need is for someone to get to her." "Commander, I was ready to say that it isn't possible ,but when I spoke to her earlier, I managed to get right up next to her without her sensing me coming. I wouldn't have thought any thing could distract her like that in a public place." "Are you serious?" "Very serious." "Then this move is coming none too soon." "Commander, I need to see you in my office for a few minutes." Saying that he headed for his office and a cup of what passed for coffee. Five minutes later the commander entered the office and took an offered cup of tea. "What's on your mind captain?" Sheridan recounted his meeting with Lyta especially the look of confusion or was it disguised fear. "After all she has been through, I thought fear had been taken out of her dictionary. Was I wrong?" "Captain how much do you know about what Psicorps did to her after she scanned Ambassador Kosh? "Only what she told us just before she exposed Talia Winters. Why?" "At an informal get together in my quarters with me and Delenn, Lyta used projection to let us experience what she went through during her interrogations by Psicorps. We only got the mild short version. It was the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced. If I knew I had to face that again, personally, I would gladly cycle myself out an airlock. It would be much more merciful." "Thank you, commander." After Ivonava left the captain called security and requested the recorded records from the Zoccolo monitor cameras covering the time he had been talking to Lyta. As luck would have it, someone had zoomed in on the woman and left the audio and video recording the whole time." Tapping the intercom he asked Ivonava to come back into the office again. Ivonava upon entering Sheridan's office, "yes sir, what can I do for you?" Sheridan ran the tape sequence several times then looked at Ivonava. "Want to bet she isn't on Delenn's shuttle?" "No way, captain. She believes she is in grave danger, alright. She is going to the one place where no one can get at her." "Epsilon III. You think Draal will let her stay down there?" "Yes. We didn't pick up the usual surge when Draal communicates with us. She probably contacted him telepathically. We don't get any readings on that." "She just reaches out and says Hey Draal, I want to come down for a visit'?" "In her case, most certainly, yes." Raising his comm badge to mouth level, "Captain Sheridan to Lyta Alexander." No answer was forthcoming, not that he really expected one. C&C reported that a fix on the badge indicated it was in Ambassador Delenn's quaretrs. He wasn't surprised. Chapter VI On Epsilon III Delenn and Lyta made their way below to Draal's chamber. He welcomed them. After a short discussion Draal agreed that Lyta would be safer with him. He showed them to quarters that been prepared for Lyta. It was austere in the extreme. Draal himself had not needed creature comforts for some years now. Lyta indicated that the quarters were more than satisfactory. Delenn commented on the lack of almost everything. The bed was a pad on the floor. She inquired about getting a better bed, but Lyta shook her head no. The pad would be sufficient since she seldom slept anymore. The austere surroundings would aid in her concentration efforts. Being removed from Babylon 5, she would not have to deal with 200,000 voices that never shut up every hour of the day. She and Draal spent an hour explaining the hows and whats was needed to implement the upgrades they had planned for the Whitestar fleet. The engineers and telepaths for monitoring as she used projection to put the necessary information directly into their brains. The telepathic monitoring by menbari telepaths would help insure that no harm was done to the personnel undergoing the training'. Draal allowed as to how he would accommodate the extra people as long was necessary. He wasn't happy about it ,but he would do it. On her way back to Babylon 5 Draal appeared in her shuttle. "Draal, you would not do this for anyone else, would you?" "No Delenn, she is very special. She is one of a kind. She is a human Old One. Because of the changes to her physical anatomy and mental conditioning by the Vorlons, when Lorien prepared her to deceive Kosh, he started a chain of events that will not reach its conclusion for a very long time. No, I don't know what it will be. Yet." With that he vanished. As she approached Babylon 5 , Delenn requested clearance to dock at the station. John's voice responded with clearance and requested that it was necessary to see her asap. She concurred . Delenn went straight to the captain's office in C&C. Ivonava and the captain were waiting. With out fanfare Sheridan ran the security recordings for her. The look on his face asked how had he could have done it differently. Patiently she and Ivonava explained as well as possible exactly what Lyta had shown them. Even second hand it made him want to vomit. How could one man do that to another...and Psicorps had expected her to remain faithful to them. Delenn, "John, you absolutely ripped her when you chewed her out for her actions at Z'ha'dum. You were very explicit." "I let my ego get in the way and my anger get out of hand. She could have just scanned me to see if I meant what I said. I wouldn't have known." "John, you don't understand, because you carried a piece of Kosh, she has a bond with you that is almost a direct mental link. You would say hardwired'. To scan you would be worse than rape from her perspective. You would have to be an immediate threat and have her in a corner and she would still have difficulty using her abilities against you. She is closer to you than your own family." "If this bond is so close, why is she afraid of me?" "Because she must keep up a strong block to keep from reading your mind, she only reads your most powerful emotions. Anger and anxiety. She fights to keep you out. She only sees your anger and anxiety, but not what is causing them. When you chewed her out she could only read the extreme anger. To her your threats were very real. That is why she doesn't trust you anymore." "Then, how was I able to walk up to her in the Zoccolo without her sensing my presence? What could possibly distract her that much." Ivonava, " in two words, Paul Blaine." Delenn, "he's the new telepath Steven told us about." "So, what has he to do with it?" The women looked at each other and shook their heads in dismay. Ivonava, "you may have noticed that Mr. Blaine is a male. Well, Lyta is a female. You may not have noticed that, but it's true." "I spoke with Steven earlier and he said Lyta made an excuse to come by Med-lab just as he was releasing Blaine. Just in time to be introduced to him. Before she left she said that he would do quite nicely. When he asked for what, she just gave him a smug smile." "Sheridan to security, relay the data from the other monitors in the Zoccolo for the same time frame as the one that you sent me this morning." Delenn, "John, what are you thinking?" "Captain, the information is ready to replay on your monitor," said the wall speaker. Playing back the recordings, one at a time, revealed a face he had seen recently, when Ivonava had called up the data on the telepath Steven was treating. Checking the relative positions of him and Lyta, it was obvious she was concentrating on him. "What do you think it is that she says he will do nicely for." Delenn, "John, did you know she was aware of him even before his ship docked? What you don't know is that his fear of getting caught and returned was very strong. She used her ability to see through others' eyes to monitor him when he came off the ship. While he was in Med-lab she used the technique she used on us to ease those fears." "There isn't anything in that to explain her actions toward him in Med-lab and in the Zoccolo. She could have simply walked up to him and said hello. With her in that outfit he would have been anything but annoyed." "The thing is that while helping to allay his fears she accidentally scanned him. What she saw caused her to do a really deep scan. She is very sorry about it." "She scanned him and didn't say so? She made like she was waiting permission. Why." Ivonava, "have you never heard of love at first scan?" "You mean she is in love with this guy?" Delenn, "very. She had to let him make the first move, though. She didn't want to force the issue. That is why she was in Med-lab to meet' him the first time and why she was so preoccupied when you found her in the Zoccolo. She feels that he must believe he is the hunter." "Hunter, hell. He hasn't got a chance. I don't suppose you and Ivonava are involved in this. Are you." "We were. It doesn't matter now. With Lyta on Epsilon III, nothing will come of it." "What makes you think that?" "While I was on Epsilon III we talked about it. She believed the best way to handle it is to erase all knowledge of their meeting from his mind. She has already done so. She really wanted this. However, she explained that there were more important things to do than worry about a might have been romance." "This wasn't going to be a romance at all was it?" Ivonava, "no captain, it was not going to be a romance. This was going to be the real thing. As in offspring." "Ladies, I just never thought of Lyta like that." Delenn, "be honest John, you have never thought of her at all unless you needed her telepathic abilities." "Other than everything, have I missed anything else? Is there anything I can do to fix this?" Ivonava, "I doubt it captain. Right now you are not high on Lyta's list of favorite uncles." "Delenn, how do I make her understand that I am not her enemy?" "I don't know John, I just don't know." From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 20:35:22 -0700 Redheaded Telepath Chapters 7-9 of 23 (so far) This was written in WordPerfect 6.1 , but is formatted as dos text. It was formatted to allow proper viewing with the standard MSDOS editor, however, any ASCII text editor should suffice. This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter VII Three months later on Epsilon III. "Lyta, how is it coming with the engineers training?" boomed a voice in her mind. "Just fine, Draal. They are starting to make some of the upgrades on one of the ships now. It will be a month or so before serious testing can begin." "Any more progress on the removal of the implants from the telepaths in cryogenic storage?" "I think I might be able to keep one of them from going insane if we were to revive him or her. I can't do it down here. It might present a danger to you." "If you think it would help I can have a place of isolation constructed for you to work in." "Let me think about it awhile." Two months after that back on Babylon 5, Paul Blaine was sitting on an examination table as Doctor Franklin was looking over the results of Blaine's latest medical exams. Looking at the man he asked, "Mr. Blaine you have undergone three complete physicals in the past six months and as far as I can tell you are in perfect health both physically and mentally." "What do you mean perfect health doc. I have never been in perfect health in my life. Between childhood illnesses and accidents it is a wonder I survived to adulthood." "That's exactly what I mean. The first exam I gave you six months ago showed that you had some broken bones and injuries when you were a child. They left scars and other signs that showed on the scanners. They seem to be disappearing. Do you have any idea how this is happening?" "Doc, your equipment must be in error. I have had a broken foot, leg, and arm and had a toe cut off my left foot before my twelfth birthday. You trying to tell me that didn't happen?" "No, what I said was that the scanners don't see any signs that they ever happened. Have you paid any attention to your feet lately?" "Hell doc, I wash em and cut my toenails. Why?" "Take a close look at your left foot." The lost toe was not lost anymore. It was almost back to normal. Whatever that was and he hadn't even noticed. "Doc, how could I not notice my toe growing back? How could it grow back anyway?" "I don't know, but if you want I will cut it off again." "That won't be necessary, doc." "Okay, we're through here you can go." After Blaine left, Steven called Captain Sheridan and asked him to stop by Med-lab. Chapter VIII Walking into Med-lab the captain asked, "what do you have, Steven?' In response the doctor pointed to a group of x-rays and other scans displayed on the reader units and waited. "What am I looking at, Steven? It looks like several peoples files." "Nope, they all belong to the same guy." "Who?' "Your second favorite telepath. Paul Blaine." "Any explanation?" "One. Remember the little boy with the broken arm?" "The one Lyta Alexander helped? Sure, but Steven, she's been on Epsilon III for over three months. That time she actually touched the little boy." Thinking how much Lyta wanted this man he wondered. "Steven she really likes this guy ,but unless she has very long arms, no way." With no warning both men felt one word in their mind very loud and clear, "WAY!" "Steven, what was that?" "Captain I think that was Lyta. It sure sounded like her." When nothing else was forth coming, the captain noted, "I suppose we have our explanation." They discussed Mr. Blaine for a few minutes and Steven explained that the man related that his telepathy seemed to be returning to some extent. The captain told the doctor to purge all the older records of Mr. Blaine from the computer records and left Med-lab. The captain had made up his mind, this situation needed resolving. He called security and ordered them to find Mr. Paul Blaine and bring him to C&C. Some time later the captain sat behind his desk and looked the telepath over and asked him to sit down. He got a cup of coffee and offered one to Blaine. Blaine said he preferred tea. As the tea was being heated up, Ivonava came in. Giving Blaine an appraising once-over she said, you sent for me sir. Commander, I want you to meet Mr. Paul Blaine. I have talked to Doctor Franklin and want your input to an idea I have." "Yes sir." "Mr. Blaine is getting some of his telepathic abilities back and I thought he might be interested in being our staff telepath." Ivonava's eyebrows shot up, "really. You know Lyta's off station of course." "Yes. However, I think she would approve of it. In fact she would probably encourage it. Well, Mr. Blaine, may I call you Paul." A puzzled Blaine responded, "yes sir. I need a job to meet expenses. If you feel that I can be of use in any capacity, I will be appreciative." "Fine, security will give you access to Lyta's office. Study the rules and regulations regarding your duties. If you have questions don't hesitate to ask." Standing to leave he shook hands with the captain and the commander and thanking him again left C&C. "Captain, is this a good idea?' "It wasn't my idea it was Lyta's." "You have talked to her?" "No. I have indicators that he is alright.' "What indicator, if I may ask?" "You may." He then proceeded to tell her about the meeting with Steven in Med-lab including her one word response to his question. "This way he pays his way and we can move him to quarters where he can be protected if need be." "Where do you want me to put him?" "In Lyta's quarters. They aren't being used.." "Captain! What happens when, if ever, she returns." Smiling at her he said, "not to worry." Just after lunch Ivonava stopped by what was now Blaine's office. Blaine was busy at the keyboard as she walked in. "Welcome commander, have a seat. To what do I owe this pleasure?" She explained that the captain would like to move him to better quarters. She said that Captain Sheridan felt that he might be safer there and that she agreed. He looked surprised when he learned they were located across the passageway from her and the captain. "Won't anyone complain about a nobody like me being put up in first class quarters." "Paul, for reasons I can't explain just now, you are anything but a nobody. I almost forgot to tell you that these quarters were assigned to Lyta Alexander before." "Won't she want them back when she returns?" "We will deal with that problem if it arises." "Commander if it is not prying tell me about Miss Alexander. I know that she was declared a rogue by Psicorps and as such has a price on her head. I have heard rumors on the station about her being involved with the Vorlons. She seems to have a questionable reputation. I find it odd that you and the captain would have anything to do with her if the rumors were true." "Paul, how much do you know about the war with the Shadows?" "Almost nothing. From what I hear around the station I get the impression it was nasty and costly." "Without having been involved at the higher levels, you can not imagine how nasty and costly it was. Believe me when I say that the rumors do not describe the real Lyta Alexander. You are a telepath. If you ever need support in that area, pray she is the one who gives it." "Her station file describes her as a competent and respected P-5 commercial telepath before she became a rogue. Is the file wrong." "Somewhat. It doesn't address her present talents." "She is more than a P-5?" "You might say that and that is all I can tell you. You will have to get the rest from her." "Commander, what type of person is the Centari ambassador?" "Does a snake with two legs conjure up any images? Why?" "He stopped in earlier with one of his aides. He asked about the services we provide, but I think that was only a pretext for something else. I thought I sensed a telepath for the first minute or so after they arrived, but it disappeared almost instantly." "The aide may have been a telepath and Londo was trying to get information from you. Telepaths are required to report in at security when they arrive on Babylon 5." "I didn't." "We knew you were coming." Leaving Paul's office and continuing on her way, Ivonava couldn't help thinking that if Lyta didn't grab this guy, she might have to reevaluate her dislike of telepaths. After all the telepaths she had experiences with except Talia, before the sleeper personality was exposed, Lyta and now Paul had been disastrous on all levels. She wondered if Lyta was also responsible for her present acceptance of Paul. Lyta had accidentally' scanned him. He couldn't have any hidden agenda. He couldn't hide it from her and the captain said she as much as gave him a clean bill of health. Hell, she had improved his health. She had no pity for the Centari telepath. After Lyta got done with him he would be as Bester liked to say, "a mundane." She also began to believe that Paul was a lot smarter than he acted. Lyta would not be interested in any dummies. Chapter IX Two months later Sheridan was discussing the general condition of station affairs. Sheridan inquired of his executive officer as to how Mr. Blaine was working out. "Captain, he is getting long just fine. There is good business monitoring contract negotiations and word is that he has developed a regular clientele. He has made friends with most of the security people. Zack and he often have a drink after work. I am a little surprised at how easy it is to like Paul. Speaking of Zack, he is doing really well as head of security. He has a natural talent for handling people. Michael has the same talent. It must be a prerequisite for really good security chiefs. "Paul? When did get you on a first name with him? I thought you didn't have anything to do with telepaths? Change of heart?" At that point his comm badge beeped. "Sheridan here." "John, this is Delenn, may I see you, shortly?" "Yes. Where?" "I'll be there in a few minutes." "Ivonava would you stay for this?" "Of course, captain." Ten minutes later Delenn swept into the office, took the offered tea and sat down across from the captain. "John, Ivonava there is something I need to discuss with both of you. As you know, Lyta has been on Epsilon III for over five months. What you do not know is what she has been doing all that time." "Delenn, we are all ears." "Draal informed me of their progress and felt it is time you should be let in on some of the secrets." "What secrets?" "We have been working on upgrades for the Whitestar fleet and it is time to show some of them to you. If you and Ivonava will accompany me we will go watch the preliminary tests." Sheridan, after throwing a questioning look at Ivonava, who shrugged her shoulders in an I don't know way', said, "lead on ambassador." On the far side of Epsilon III away from and out of sight of Babylon 5, the Whitestar II opened a jump gate and was gone from Epsilon III space. She reentered regular space in a remote and empty sector of space. Already there was a minbari battlecruiser. "John, the first test is for the shielding" "What kind of shielding?" "It is an improvement on the Vorlon defenses, it can deflect most of the incoming energy before it impacts the skin of the ship and improves the ability of the skin of the ship to reflect whatever energy that is left. It also allows the ships batteries and weapons banks to absorb some of the energy. We can use their fire to return fire." "Just what do these tests consist of? Live fire? "Yes." "What is the target?" "Us." "Delenn, you can't be serious!" From Delenn, "everyone take a seat and fasten yourselves in." A warning alarm sounded through the ship. All sections reported secure and ready. "Captain, you may begin at any time,' she told the captain of the battlecruiser." The cruiser fired its main armament precisely targeting the Whitestar II. From the cruiser viewpoint the energy beam seemed to breakup and dissipate on the gunboats hull. As ordered the cruiser maintained its fire rate for the scheduled five minutes. The Whitestar II appeared to be unscathed. On board the Whitestar II it felt like someone had hit her with a giant hammer and if everyone hadn't been strapped down they would have been bouncing off decks and bulkheads. Sheridan looked at Delenn and asked, "how hard did they hit us." "John, that was full power from their main weapons system." "How, much damage did we sustain, Lennier?" "None, captain. Other than the initial jolt, nothing at all. The hull didn't even get warm." "How long could we have survived that?" "According to my read outs, indefinitely. Captain if my panels read correctly we could survive multiple direct hits from a Shadow battlecruiser." "Let's hope we never have to test that theory. What other weapons tests are in store, Delenn." "Just a small demonstration of the increased firepower in the main battery." Swinging away from the cruiser the Whitestar approached what appeared to be very small asteroid. As it got closer the captain realized it was in fact large. "Lennier, how big is that thing?" "About 900 meters in diameter captain." "Exactly what is the target?" "It is, captain." Looking at Delenn, "is he joking?" "No. He is serious." Ivonava, "captain that thing is almost the same diameter as the rotating section of Babylon 5!" As if on cue the captain of the cruiser which was now alongside Whitestar II opened fire on the small astroid. It blew off some dirt, but not much more. At a nod from Delenn, Lennier targeted the astroid and fired. There were now many little ones where the big one had been. It had been almost pulverized. Sheridan looked at Delenn and asked, "what other tricks does this thing do." "That's it for now John. We still haven't installed the upgrades for engines, sensors and the artificial gravity system." Opening a jumpgate and accelerating Whitestar II made a fast uneventful return trip to Babylon 5. Captain Sheridan, "Delenn where did these modifications come from? How many ships have them?" Captain, "only this one has any modifications at this time. We are using it for a test vehicle. The first ones to be outfitted will be used to guard Babylon 5 from attack. Our engineers working with Draal developed the modifications." "They did all this in a few short months? I have trouble buying that." "As you wish." Arrival at the station was routine and as they debarked Sheridan indicated that he wanted a staff meeting in the war room in one hour. This is not the end. The files are too large to send as one unit and this is a works in progress. It's a good stress reducer. There will be more to follow. From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 20:41:45 -0700 Redheaded Telepath Chapters 10-12 of 23 (so far) This was written in WordPerfect 6.1 , but is formatted as dos text. It was formatted to allow proper viewing with the standard MSDOS editor, however, any ASCII text editor should suffice. This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter X One hour later the staff meeting convened in the war room. Since the supply department and other support departments and divisions were there, it took more than an hour to get through the regular routine business. When that was finished the captain dismissed the support personnel. So they could get real work done,or so, he said. He was aware that bullets and bombs weren't the be all to end all. Without the support personnel pulling on their part of the wagon, nobody went anywhere. It was either be a team or be dead. Easy choice. He wanted all his staff to be in the know and appreciate the efforts of everyone else. Now came the real reason he had called the meeting. "What other types of upgrades do you have planned for the fleet?" Asked Sheridan. "You still haven't convinced me about how these changes are being accomplished and just how many people are working on these projects?" Delenn introduce a distinguished looking older Minbari. "This is Worel of the clan Woer, his is one of the formost aeronautical and space engineers on Minbar and is in charge of the overall upgrade program. He will explain the upgrades we are doing. Dr. Worel." With that Dr. Worel began, "We have several hundred engineer and support staff on Epsilon III. They are working with Draal and the Great Machine to design and static test the improvements. We are also training the operators there to get the most out of the ships after they are upgraded. We expect to be able to install and test the upgrades on at least one ship a month at first. We will move the bulk of the work back to Minbar as soon as possible. Tool up and production on Minbar is expected to take about four months. After that we can expect to upgrade at least two ships a month. The larger battlecruisers will require about half again as long as a Whitestar vessel." Sheridan nodded and asked, "doctor the plans sound fine, but just what are the specifics?" The older Minbari continued, "engine power is expected to be increased fifty percent. Sensor ranges will be extended at least thirty percent. Sensors will be able to track ships in hyperspace while still in normal space. Improve jumpengine capability will allow transit to hyperspace without actually opening a jumpgate. Upgrades to the artificial gravity generators will do away with the need to strap into your seat like we did today. They will also allow the ship to turn inside a starfury. "John, with all the modifications, Whitestar can still be destroyed by an enemy. It will just not be easy." Sheridan thinking of Delenn's penchant for understatement said, "Doctor Worel thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to give us this briefing." As the doctor nodded and started to take his leave the captain asked , "doctor have you met Miss Alexander?" "Miss Alexander? With all due respect captain, I do not know a Miss Alexander," he replied, and left. "Delenn, Lyta is still on Epsilon III, isn't she?" "Yes, but she has not had contact with anyone except Draal." "Gentlemen and gentle ladies this meeting is adjourned," said Sheridan. Chapter XI Unknown to Delenn and the others on Babylon 5 was that after Delenn departed Lyta had told Draal that she needed some changes to her living accomodations. She started with a methane atmosphere and added an encounter suit that she had designed to hide her physical size and sex from those with whom she would be working over the next months or years. She explained to Draal that she wanted no personal contact with anyone while she was here. She added that he wasn't included in that. Draal had arranged it to suit her wishes. She wasn't hard to please. She really didn't ask for much. It seems she never asked for much. He guessed that she had become used to doing without in the last couple of years. She didn't really trust anyone very much either. He wondered about that since she could scan anyone to their very soul. The experiences with Psicorps had left some terrible scars on her psyche. Lyta left her quarters through a back entrance known only to her and Draal. Out in the passageway, again breathing earth normal atmosphere, Lyta started to walk, just thinking how good it felt to not do anything for a little while except give her head a rest. She would not admit it even under duress that the last five months had been one hell of a strain. If she hadn't been able to share some of the thoughts of those back on Babylon 5, she thought she might have gone nuts. She wondered how Lorien had managed it for all those years. Maybe he listened to others' thoughts as she had. Draal was a sanity saver. Fortunately he loved to talk. At that moment Draal appeared walking next to her. "A credit for your thoughts." She cocked her head to one side and regarded him with smile. There was humor in her eyes. She said, I don't suppose you would like to step out of the machine for a while and have a real dinner with me?" Draal was taken aback by the suggestion. Lyta had not seen another soul face to face in more than five months. Holograms, even if they walked and talked didn't count. "I would be pleased to do so." he disappeared for a minute and then returned. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour, my dear." Lyta beamed like a high intensity lamp and said, "thanks Draal." "Lyta, could I invite some company?" She smiled and thought for a moment, "Draal, forget I asked. I shouldn't have imposed. I really should get back to work." Smiling he said, "I understand. Goodnight." She walked back to her quarters and thought wistfully that dinner and music would have been so nice. Ah hell, there was enough work to keep her busy for a lifetime and in her case that promised to be a hell of a long time. Draal watched her walk away and thought that she had to be so lonely. That she deserved better and obviously didn't know it bothered him. He and his beloved wife had not been blessed with children. He had felt like a father to Delenn and now he was feeling that way about Lyta. She was the first person that didn't seem to have receive' in his or her dictionary, only give'. With a frown he noted that conversing with humans was corrupting his speech patterns. With a silent sigh he slowly faded out of sight and went back to work. On the other side of Epsilon III out of sight of Babylon 5 in an underground industrial complex Draal had built for the purpose of designing, building and preliminary testing the upgrades Lyta was developing were a hundreds of trusted Menbari and earth engineers and technical personnel working on the "Upgrade Project". There were three shifts and the work was continuous. In the project managers office there was a busy discussion of the results of the recent live fire tests that had been conducted by Whitestar II. "Dr. Worel, do you think that Draal and the advisor will be satisfied with today's test results," asked one of the earther department heads. "I would think so, Bob. If either side had fire power and armor like this during our war the other side wouldn't have survived at all. The Whitestar II could destroy our heaviest ships and not even breath hard. The battlecruiser's weapons were essentially useless against her. She nearly pulverized an asteroid that was almost a kilometer in diameter using her main battery. She is going to be a ship to be reckoned with when she is completed. Okay the floor is open let's see where we are with the other parts of the project." As the exchanges of information and data began, a voice asked, "Dr. Worel, do we have any idea who Draal's advisor is yet. "Mike, there are some questions that one doesn't ask," answered the doctor. The low buzz of human and Menbari engineers and technical leaders getting their efforts in synchronization resumed. The doctor reflected on how easy it is to look good when you had good talent working for you, if only you allowed it to do what it did best. Chapter XII Delenn had been thinking of Lyta again. No way around it, she considered the rogue telepath to be one of her most trusted friends. She couldn't help but worry about her. Five months in what was essentially total isolation. The door bell softly chimed. "Come in, John." Entering her quarters the captain asked, "how did you know it was me?" "Lennier is off for the remainder of the evening and it is too late for anyone else," she answered turning from her bar with a cup of tea. "Want one?" "Sure, a real man never turns down a free drink. It is free isn't it?" "Do you always check out the price tag first?" "Yep. It keeps the budget in balance. What did you want to talk about this evening?" "I will tell you, but only after you kiss me." "Just what I thought, a regular kiss and tell person." He kissed her alright, two ways long and de....ep. When he released her he asked, "now, what are we going to talk about. "I forgot....joke. Seriously, us." "Us, as in what about...?" "I want to make some plans for us, John. I have over a period of time spent the three nights with you. I very much liked what I observed. I feel it is time to discuss how we want to approach the rest." "Assuming, rest means that which is necessary to get married, I agree. We need for me to become familiar with the rituals your people observe and you with mine. I think I would like to fuse them together if it can be done." "That would be very nice. I will gather the information necessary for both of us and we will design our own. Subject to family approval." "Of course. Have you eaten supper yet?" "No. Are we going out?" "I will if you will." With that they left Delenn's quarters and headed in the general direction of the Zoccolo. Ten minutes later they were at the door of their favorite restaurant. Paul Blaine, Zack Allen and his new girlfriend were already on the waiting list. "Care to join us, captain?" asked Blaine. "If your guests don't mind," replied Sheridan. "Not at all captain." Turning to Delenn and bowing slightly Zack said, "evening Ambassador Delenn . I would like to introduce to my date, Miss Barbara Freeman." From Miss Freeman, " pleased to meet you Captain Sheridan and you Ambassador Delenn." Delenn, "Miss Freeman you are Paul's new assistant aren't you?" "Yes ma'am." About then a waiter escorted the group to their table. After they were seated the man said,"My name is Mark and it will be my pleasure to serve you this evening. May I bring you something to drink and an hors d'oeuvre?" Everyone ordered something non-alcoholic to drink and a chef salad with no dressing to nibble on while they perused the menu and made their choices. The captain noticed several items marked new item' and queried the waiter about them. After a description of the first few as something combining Centari food with Narn spices and Drazi cooking styles, the captain and the rest of the group passed. Instead they ordered safe dishes of baked potatoes, fish, chicken, steak and raw vegetables. As their waiter left with their orders, the conversation began. "Zack, you are going all out tonight," referring to Zack's order of steak and his date's order of broiled chicken breast, noted the captain. "Captain, I seldom get to take a lovely lady to dinner, and I might as well do it right," Zack answered in his raspy sort of voice. His date blushed. "You are a man after my own heart, Zack. Never do things half-way." Several thousand kilometers away in her apartment on Epsilon III, Lyta was feeling just a bit depressed. She had rejected Draal's offer of the company of others. Being in actual contact with someone other than Draal would only emphasize her physical loneliness. It was better to let it pass. She began to think of the people she knew on Babylon 5. It occurred to her that she could share some time with them even though they wouldn't know she was there. It wasn't scanning and if they were doing anything she shouldn't be watching, she would stop. The person most likely not to be doing anything too personal would be Captain Sheridan. Lowering the block she had for him until she could hear' him, she found him and Delenn were just arriving at Sheridan's favorite expensive place to eat. "Must be some special occasion." Lowering the block a bit further she could see' the other members of the captain's party. As their waiter led them to a large table she noted that the group consisted of, in addition to the Captain and Delenn, Zack Allen, A man she recognized as Paul Blaine, and a lovely young brunette whom she did not know. She observed everything form Captain Sheridan's point of view. "Captain Sheridan what is the occasion for you and Ambassador Delenn tonight?" asked Blaine. Delenn responded, "we have decided on what we want to do for our wedding ceremony. That is a good enough one. Please, no title when I am not acting in an official capacity." "Okay, Miss Delenn it is." "No. Delenn will be just fine." "You said you had decided on a type of ceremony." John looked a little uncomfortable, and Delenn with a mischievous sparkle said, yes, we are going for a combination of both earth and Minbari customs and traditions." Zack had noticed the captain's facial movements and the gleam in the ambassador's eye. To himself, "women, the same all over. Get a man over the coals and turn up the heat." "It should be interesting and educational for all of us," continued Paul with a perfectly sincere expression on his face. "Yes, interesting," cut in the captain. "How is the job coming along Paul?" "Business has been very good. I needed help with the record keeping. Barbara came to me highly recommended by your supply officer. I hired her on the spot. He had to downsize and labor rules dictated that the least senior person had to go first. His loss my good fortune. I owe the person who wrote that rule." "Miss Freeman your boss seems to think highly of your abilities. How has it been working with him." Barbara blushed and said, "so far he is the easiest person I have worked for to date." "Paul?" "Captain she is so organized and efficient it is painful. It is the kind of pain every good boss hunts for. A different question of a different nature if I may?" On Epsilon III, Lyta thought,"here it comes." "Shoot, said Sheridan. "I know that the office I am using belonged to a Miss Lyta Alexander, before I arrived. I was curious about her from a professional perspective. When I looked up her public file I found that she was the first commercial telepath assigned to Babylon 5. She left abruptly and was replaced by a Miss Talia Winters. She was recalled and left rather suddenly, also. After that there hasn't been another commercial telepath assigned to the station. Miss Alexander apparently has been in the office unofficially even though she was declared a rogue." Lyta felt the tension mount in Sheridan. "Don't worry Paul there isn't anything catching attached to the office." "No sir, I was just wondering about when Miss Alexander returns. She is coming back isn't she?" "I honestly don't know." "Paul, what did you find in Lyta's public files that bothers you?" asked Delenn. "Well, the official photo of her taken by station security shows a very pretty redhead. Looking very neat and businesslike. There is also a video clip of her showing that the official photo doesn't do her any justice. It's the recent security photo and video clip that grabs me. In that she is obviously a few pounds lighter, she moves like a cat, wears an outfit fit for brawling, has her hair pulled back so tight that it must hurt, and has a very hard glint in her eyes. She looks like she would as soon kick hell out of you as not if you said hello'." There was a feeling of mild surprise showed on Sheridan's face. Lyta felt it as a marked increase in tension. Zack and Delenn were definitely amused. They kept a straight face. "What are you leading up to, Paul," he asked. "There won't be any problems when Miss Alexander returns will there? The last thing I need is more trouble. I mean, after all, I am using her office and her quarters," he said the last with a bit of sheepishness in his voice. With a warm feeling, Lyta smiled to herself, "not damn likely." The mood didn't last long. Lyta felt the anger rise in Sheridan like a bomb in the face, that came from nowhere. "There won't be any problems with her! I'll handle Lyta!" it came out hard. Not the way he intended at all. Before the regret for what he had said could even manifest itself in his mind, she broke the link. She did it so suddenly her head snapped back against her chair. If she had any doubts about her status before, there weren't any now. He could drive her off the station, but he would play hell getting at her here. Why he was doing this was beyond her understanding and it took a hell of a lot to be that. Ah well, life goes on. Fortunately she thought, "there is no one to see my tears." She supposed Paul was right, she had become very hard since she originally arrived on Babylon 5. She was wrong about her tears. Draal had been watching and even if he couldn't read her mind he had seen the sudden change of emotions and her tears. She wasn't aware he was there. She really didn't scan those around her. Watching her made his heart hurt. He noted the time. He was going to ask Delenn if she knew what happened. May be she or Sheridan knew what went wrong. It was a long shot. After all, there were over 200,000 people on Babylon 5. It didn't have to be Sheridan, but he couldn't think of anyone else who would have that effect on her. Delenn exploded, "JOHN! What are you saying!" "Captain, I have had lunch with Michael Garibaldi a number of times and he swears that Miss Alexander is about the nicest and sweetest person he knows. He even said he trusted her. When I told him I had heard he didn't trust anyone he told me she is different. Did I miss something here or what?" asked Blaine with a shocked look on his face. The faces of Zack and Barbara were showing the same expression, astonishment. Feeling like the galaxy's biggest ass, Sheridan apologized, "I am very sorry, that wasn't what I meant to say. Please forgive me." "Just what did you mean to say, JOHN!" shot Delenn with acid dripping off every word. "Paul, there won't be any trouble because Lyta recommended you for the job. She said you would be perfect. I had some qualms about having someone I don't know in that position. I depend on the staff telepath occasionally for the same things a normal business man does only it can sometimes involve station official business." "You mean you hired me on the recommendation of a rogue telepath who has never met me." "Yes." "Why? What is so special about her that you would put that much trust in her?" "She is not exactly what she appears to be." "That's all, no other reason?" "None that I can tell you about now. Do me a favor? When you go to bed tonight, take the time to look at your left foot very carefully. Then think of Lyta." Paul's face , Zack's face and Barbara's face looked like three question marks. Sheridan was glad looks couldn't kill. If they could the ones Delenn was giving him would at the very least leave him with a permanent limp in both legs. She WAS pissed. He didn't think he had ever seen her so angry. He felt just a twinge of fear at what he had seen in his beloved ones eyes. It was as if Lyta was her child and he had suggested killing her. He needed to do some serious soul searching and get his head straightened out. Just then their meals arrived. Everyone ate in silence. The conversation had been properly assassinated. After the meal everyone said their goodnights and went their own ways. Paul took a long stroll before heading for his apartment. Zack and Barbara disappeared int otn thinning crowd and Captain Sheridan and Ambassador Delenn angled toward the diplomatic quarters. All the way back to her quarters Delenn fumed worse than a wet hen. The captain knew he was in the doghouse, but it couldn't hurt to try and salvage whatever he could. Opening her door Delenn entered and motioned Sheridan in with withering look. "Alright Delenn I made a real ass out of myself tonight. How can I make it up to you." "John, you truly do not understand what you might have done tonight." "You keep telling me that I don't understand. What is it that I don't understand?" "John, tell me about your family." "Delenn it's late. Can't this wait?" "John, I know it is late. If you don't want to talk now, it's fine with me. Next time there won't be any forgiveness." "It isn't be that bad. Is it?" "Ivonava and I have tried everything except force to get you to examine your actions. You simply refuse to do so. John, you are not infallible." "What do you want to know about my family." "You talk, I will listen." What followed was the longest night of Sheridan's life. Delenn was as cryptic in her answers and comments as Lorien or Kosh. It was infuriating. Sitting on the edge of his bed Paul Blaine crossed his left foot over his right knee and inspected his left foot. He had five perfectly formed toes on it just like everyone else. He thought of the captain's statement to think of Lyta. It was a bit confusing. Was he to infer that she had anything to do with it? The question bothered him. He walked over to his computer terminal, logged on and called up the records of his arrival and looked at the security photo that was taken of him when he started the staff telepath job. What he saw didn't agree with the video of him debarking the ship he arrived in. The video showed a man who had to be at least forty years old. His security photo was that of a thirty year old young man. Something wasn't what it appeared to be. He would ask Zack about it in the morning. more to come. From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 20:48:51 -0700 Redheaded Telepath Chapters 13-16 of 23 (so far) This was written in WordPerfect 6.1 , but is formatted as dos text. It was formatted to allow proper viewing with the standard MSDOS editor, however, any ASCII text editor should suffice. This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter XIII Doctor Worel sat in front of his computer terminal, which consisted of a keyboard on his desk and a wall size holographic display located on the far wall, closely scrutinizing the flow chart that was displayed there. There were parts of it that didn't quite seem to fit. He was waiting for his software engineers to arrive before calling Draal. Maybe this problem would get them an audience with the mysterious advisor. He had a feeling the advisor was really the brains behind these projects. Whoever it was, they had been taught in any schools he had heard about. They were designing, constructing systems so advanced he couldn't really understand large parts of them. They worked, though. As his engineers began arriving the doctor contacted Draal. He explained what they needed and Draal set up a voice only link with his advisor'. Lyta had a system in her quarters that was a twin of Doctor Worel's. Draal initiated the link. A computer generated voice asked, "what can I do for you, doctor?" it had no inflection, just a dead mechanical tone. Knowing that the advisor was looking at his presentation, he began to point out parts of the diagram that were giving them problems. He let the individual engineers explain their individual difficulties in detail. The advisor addressed each one in equal detail. "Advisor, no disrespect, but we don't understand several of your explanations?" "It was expected." "We try to understand, but some of this doesn't seem to be referenced to anything within our collective experience." "Correct." I will finish here advisor," said Draal. "Draal, can you enlighten us?" "Yes. Doctor do you have small children or grandchildren." "Yes, I even have great grandchildren. Why?" "They have toys.?" "Yes." "Doctor, have you ever tried to explain how the toy was developed and manufactured to them. In the case of a toy made of synthetics, have you tried to explain the chemical research behind the development of the synthetics used to make the toy?" "Of course not. It would be beyond their comprehension." "They still play with the toy? Of course they do." There was slow dawning of just what Draal's point was. "I think I understand now. Draal, will we ever get to meet the advisor. We would like to know what it looks like." Draal produced a hologram of Lyta as she had been dressed in Med-lab when she first met' Mr. Blaine. The engineers, human and menbari alike, almost drooled. Doctor Worel finally said, "Draal, if you don't want to let us see the advisor, it's alright. Who is she anyway?" "For me she is the advisor. For you I suppose she is just a cute human redhead." With that he broke the link with the doctor. "Draal, do you think it was smart to show them a picture of me?" "My dear, they won't ever believe they say anything but a cute redheaded human female. They probably won't ask again either." "Me cute?" Back in Doctor Worel's office as the meeting was breaking up one young engineer asked, "doctor do you think that was really a hologram of the advisor?" "Do you?" After a moments thought the young man shook his head, no, and departed. "Advisor indeed!" thought the doctor. After listening in' on the conversations of the adjourned meeting and the doctors thoughts, Lyta said, "you win, Draal." She felt his smile. "Draal?" "Yes?" "If they are having trouble understanding what they have, what are they going to do when I hit them with what I have in the works now." "Lyta, I don't understand what you are doing either. It is going to be a real problem." "I have a solution, but I am going to need lots of help." she then explained her plan to get her hands on young humans and menbari of promise and train them herself. I can't unteach these older engineers. There is not enough time. Her statements hit him like a minbari fighting pike to the head. "This is going to require consultation and cooperation of some important people. Let me get busy." "Thanks, Draal." "I am going to be working with my unfrozen telepath." she left her apartment and headed to the special living area that held the aforementioned telepath. Linda was her name. She was a wealth of information. It had become evident from her efforts with Linda that the Shadows and Vorlons had developed impressive technology from a certain point of view. They seemed to have stopped once they achieved a certain level. They apparently felt no need for anything else. For all their apparent disgust for the frozen in time Vorlons, the Shadows were just as limited. The preparation of the human telepaths for use in their warships had a meat ax approach to it. She could think of several methods that would work better. "Thanks, Draal." "I am going to be working with my unfrozen telepath." she left her apartment and headed to the special living area that held the aforementioned telepath. Linda was her name. She was a wealth of information. It had become evident from her efforts with Linda that the Shadows and Vorlons had developed impressive technology from a certain point of view. They seemed to have stopped once they achieved a certain level. They apparently felt no need for anything else. For all their apparent disgust for the frozen in time Vorlons, the Shadows were just as limited. The preparation of the human telepaths for use in their warships had a meat ax approach to it. She could think of several methods that would work better. Chapter XIV Sheridan had his head in Delenn's lap and she gently rubbed his temples. The previous night she had forced him to look at his life from perspectives he had not thought possible. When he had started talking she had only given him Vorlon style answers. She would give even credits the Vorlons invented psychotherapy and its techniques. It had caused the captain to examine his whole value system, his family relationships, how much he had loved his wife and how much it had hurt when the Shadows had essentially destroyed her, and even his relationships with his friends. The hardest part was dissecting his relationship with her. It was going to take him some time to come to terms with himself. How many more nights like this one. Lyta could help make this much easier, but her refusal to even lightly scan John made that solution unavailable. She would discuss this with Ivonava. Maybe if both of them worked on Lyta she would change her mind. John had not cried, but his eyes had tears ready to run down his face in a flood. She had never seen him this emotional. His hurt was almost a physical thing. "Good morning Michael, care for some company, "asked Paul Blaine approaching the table Michael Garibaldi was occupying while he ate his standard breakfast. "I notice you are still on the four part diet." seating himself he smiled. Garibaldi would swear the man was absolutely beaming. "Paul, there ought to be a law about some feeling as good as you do. You almost shine." "Lately I just seem to always feel good Mike, I don't know why, but I'm not going to complain." Smiling, Garibaldi replied, "If you find what is responsible, let me know. If we can bottle it, both our fortunes are made." Paul ordered eggs, toast and juice. "Tell me some more about Lyta Alexander, Mike?" "You sure interested in her. You did say that you had never met her?" "Mike, I don't know this woman, yet I am told she was responsible for me getting this job. Just who is she that Sheridan apparently puts so much faith in her judgement of people?" "I've never given it any thought before. I know I trust her." "Why and how far?" "I honestly don't know why. She saved our butts before. After she escaped Psicorps she was almost killed getting here to warn us about a sleeper agent. The agent almost killed her before Lyta could expose her. Captain Sheridan helped her get off the station before she could be arrested by Psicorps. There was no record kept of her presence on the station at that time. I purged the computer records completely. She was never here. She has been running for her life ever since. She pulled our irons out of the fire during the Shadow war, but that's a whole other story." "What has she gotten out of all this." Garibaldi thought about it for almost a full minute before replying in a measured voice, "absolutely nothing. Unless you count getting kicked in the face, figuratively speaking, by Captain Sheridan on regular basis. He treats her like dirt." This last was through clenched teeth. Paul related the captain's performance at dinner the other night. "I am not surprised, his motto lately seems to be do or say whatever you want no matter who gets hurt' as long as you say you are sorry. Paul if you need someone to cover your back in a bad situation Lyta Alexander should be your first choice. She is very nice and really sweet and I love her like a sister, but make mistake about it, she is harder than nails, tougher than armor plating, and she never quits." With raised eyebrows he asked, "anything else I should know about her?" "Paul, you have seen her file. It says she is a P-5 rating. It doesn't say much else does it." "No. What is missing?" "She is the only telepath to ever scan a Vorlon and live to tell about it. Apparently their was a bond between her and Ambassador Kosh established when she did that. She wasn't aware of it. She and the attending doctor were hustled off the station on a Psicorps transport. No explanation or anything. Psicorps showed up and she was gone. She only had time to pack a suitcase. The doctor got the same treatment. Next time we heard of her was when she arrived at the station alone on a small shuttle that looked like it had been used for target practice. She was damned near dead then. We learned that she had been worked over time and time again for more than two months with drugs and the deepest scans Psicorps had. In spite of all that she he was tough enough to keep what she saw when she scanned Kosh from them. Are you suitably impressed yet?" Paul had a really odd expression on his face. Disbelief. Garibaldi gave him the story of her efforts during the Shadow war. The part about her blocking a Vorlon scan seemed to hit him like a truck. "Paul, she is much more than she appears to be. She could fry the brains of a P-12 and not raise a sweat. She used to be a P-5. What she is now is anybody's guess." "Mike, I think I like her and I haven't even met her. Just for curiosity sake, what has she gotten out of all this?" Getting up to leave Garibaldi said, "kicked in the teeth." Paul thought about his left foot and shook his head, no way, he thought, no way. He finished his juice and rose to leave. Standing in the laboratory Draal had provided for her work with Linda, Lyta found herself listening to the conversation between Michael Garibaldi and Paul Blaine. She smiled, in spite of his present problems she still liked Michael very much. He had faith in her and trusted her when no one else would. You don't forget things like that. Paul was a veritable jewel. She had heard the "no way" thought. She just couldn't help herself. Paul looked all around slowly. He would have sworn he heard a very soft voice in the distance say, "way." It had sounded feminine. On the way to his office he stopped and passed time with several people, most he had gotten to know and some he was meeting for the first time. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the people all seemed to be friendly, human and non-human alike. He had become better than a passing acquaintance to more individuals in the last few months than the first thirty years of his life. Someone or something had to be affecting him. Why or how he could not even imagine. Maybe good things did come to you if you lived right, but he didn't really believe that. Chapter XV Paul arrived in the office just as the intercom buzzed. Barbara answered while he made a cup of tea. "Paul, that was Commander Ivonava. She wanted to know if she could meet with you sometime today." "What do we have scheduled for today?" Tapping a key and reading from her monitor she replied, "you have a consultation with the Drazi ambassador at 1000 hours and nothing definite after that. There were two inquiries. They said they would get back to me when their plans were more definite." Accessing his comm panel, Paul called C&C and asked for the commander. She answered almost immediately, "Paul, thank you for returning my call so soon. Will you be able to fit me in today?" Looking at the pretty face of the commander he silently thought, "into what?" but aloud said, "yes, anytime after about 1100. Whatever is convenient for you." "Lunch, then." "Yes ma'am." "Susan. Paul, call me Susan." Barbara caught all of that. "Susan, is it?" Paul smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever." His comm panel buzzed again. It was the Minbari ambassador. "Hello ambassador. How may I be of assistance?" "Could you meet with me in my office this morning?" Checking his watch, he noted that was just a little after 0800 and his only scheduled meeting was at 1000. "Yes, ambassador, I am free until 1000. When do you wish to meet?" "0830 if it is not inconvenient." "Then your office at 0830 it is." he broke the connection. Some mornings it was like this. Nothing much planned and damned if the comm panel didn't try to ring itself off the wall. Paul arrived at the ambassador's office at 0828. "Good morning mister Lennier. Ambassador is expecting me." "Ambassador Delenn is waiting for you in the her office." Upon entering the ambassador's office he was struck by the low key decor. The displays of small art objects, a few paintings and living flower arrangements were impressive if understated. He felt like he had walked into a small shrine. The diminutive female Menbari was seated behind an understated desk. Beautiful woodwork a functional work of art was his first thought his second was that it must have cost a fortune. Well, he supposed that was a perk of the position. After all who would want the responsibility if there were no rewards. "Mister Blaine, have a seat, please." Paul let himself down into what was very comfortable chair. He wished he had one like it in his apartment, but said nothing, instead, he waited for the woman to continue. "May I call you Paul?" "Yes ma'am, please do." "Paul, you have been trying very hard to learn about Lyta Alexander. I am very close to her. Your inquires trouble me. While it is not officially any of my business, I wish to know why?" "Ambassador, there is no reason to worry. I am having trouble understanding why she was interested enough to get me the job as staff telepath. Is it to keep a closer eye on me? Since I arrived on Babylon 5 any real telepathic abilities I had seem to be gone. I can feel some emotions in a limited manner and I can tell when my clients are lying or not being completely truthful, but that is all. Otherwise, being on board the station is the first time in my life I don't hear myriad voices all day every day with no let up. The lady has been my benefactor and I don't even know her. I can't help but be curious." "I understand you are having lunch with Susan." "Yes ma'am." How did she know about that? "We will talk again after your lunch with Commander Ivonava." "Yes ma'am." sensing he had been dismissed he left her office and headed back to his. He just knew that he was being had by the ambassador, but for the life of him he could not put a finger on it. Delenn was smiling as Lennier stuck his head through the doorway. He had a question on his face. "Speak to me Lennier, I know that look." "Delenn, you sounded like what the humans call an old mother hen." "Thank you Lennier. Delenn called Susan and informed her that she had seen Blaine as planned. She said he appeared to have even more questions now than before, but he didn't ask them. Chuckling Ivonava said, "what plans we women weave." The commander thought to herself, "Sheridan would have our butts if he knew what we were doing." She hoped Lyta appreciated their efforts. Delenn had told Commander Ivonava what transpired at dinner and in her quarters afterward. The agreed that the captain was going to have to confront Lyta with his feelings. They also agreed that she had to scan him to resolve her fears. The hard part was how to get her to do it. Draal had provided her with a comm device especially for contacting him. It allowed her to bypass the station communications system and its controls. She contacted Draal and asked for permission to come down. He agreed to her passenger list. She contacted Sheridan and Ivonava and told them Draal had requested they come to Epsilon III about 1530 hours. Susan enjoyed lunch with Paul. He was intelligent, handsome and had a great sense of humor. She believed Paul could make anyone feel at ease even if they were in the middle of a firefight. If natural charm came by the ounce he would own an ocean of it. He was a telepath and if not for Lyta a very powerful one, but he seemed to truly enjoy not having it. She wondered what he would say when he learned the truth. After lunch they returned to Paul's office and Ivonava run some security recordings for him. The recordings were of the Zoccolo and other parts of the station, even one of the war room. The recording of the war room was the one of the launching of the attack on the new Kosh. It showed Lyta entering with an elderly gentleman. Paul heard Sheridan say, "Lyta?" and her response, "I don't know if I can do this, but I will try." Ivonava showed him this one first. Paul asked, "who is the elderly gentleman?" "That is Lorien. He is the oldest First One." "What is a First One?" "Paul, he is older than our home planet. He is more powerful than you could ever possibly imagine." "Let me guess. The woman with him is Miss Alexander." "That is Lyta." "Garibaldi told me she was nice, sweet and harder than nails. She is kind of pretty in spite of that outfit. I like her voice, too. I think I have heard it somewhere before." "Anything is possible, Paul." She ran the rest of the clips, except two. "What do you think of your benefactor?" "I would like to meet her. Even with those severe outfits she wears, there is something showing through. A femininity? I just don't know. Are those other clips of her?" "Yes, do you want to see them?" "You bet." Damn, he was hooked already and he hadn't seen the best part yet. She ran the last two clips, they were of the captain telling her about moving her into different quarters. Paul, just stared. After the last clip ran, Susan, backed up one clip until she could freeze the picture on a close-up full length shot of Lyta. "This is the same woman? You can't be serious." "I am serious. That is Lyta when she dresses up. This is also the first the first time I have ever seen her dressed up. Is she beautiful or what?" "Uh...yeah." "Have I helped satisfy your curiosity? Paul!" Pulling his eyes away from the screen, he asked if he could get a copy of that picture and one of her face close-up. "She isn't on the station now is she?" "No. And I am not sure when she will return. Paul I hate to run off, but I have something I absolutely have to do this afternoon." "Thanks for the lunch and movies commander." "Susan, Paul. Susan." She left his office in a definite rush. He just knew he was going to have difficulty concentrating the remainder of the afternoon. It was hard to believe the woman in the leather outfit was the same one in the dress clothing. It had to be more than just the clothes. He ran the clips again and again listening to her voice. An hour later on his way across the Zoccolo he remembered where he had heard it before. It was in his head just after he talked to Michael the last time. His mind was in high gear as he continued to walk and think over all that happened in the recent past. There were so many scattered details, almost random. If he just kept at it, the answer would come. This is not the end. The files are too large to send as one unit and this is a works in progress. It's a good stress reducer. There will be more to follow From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 20:54:35 -0700 The last installment was chapters 13-15 not 16. The file is in ASCII (DOS) format. Redheaded Telepath Chapters 16-18 of 23 (so far) This was written in WordPerfect 6.1 , but is formatted as dos text. It was formatted to allow proper viewing with the standard MSDOS editor, however, any ASCII text editor should suffice. This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter XVI Delenn, Sheridan, and Ivonava boarded Delenn's shuttle for the trip down to Epsilon III. The captain was feeling a know begin to form in his stomach. He knew it would only get worse. This was no pleasure trip. He would have to face Lyta. He wasn't looking forward to it. Delenn and Ivonava hadn't given him much choice in the matter. He wondered why all the women he called friend or love were as hard as nails. Delenn was the steel lady. Ivonava was just like her in those ways. Lyta was a whole other thing. What she had experienced in the last few years and survived had to make her one of the toughest people he had ever met. Mentally she was as hard as they came. Since they had broken from earth alliance he had heard nothing from his family. He reasoned that since they weren't captured or declared dead that they were still alive. There wasn't anything he could do to help them. Helplessness didn't sit well with Sheridan. It was eating away at him like an acid and the latest earthgov actions weren't helping the situation either. Thankfully Delenn had figuratively speaking beaten his head against a wall until he had no choice, but admit his deepest feelings. His personal nightmares. Delenn landed the shuttle and the trio debarked. Draal met them with a flourish. He kissed Delenn and Susan and welcomed them. Delenn explained their reasons for being here. As he led them down into the depths of the planet, he said with much pain, "Captain Sheridan, this girl is ruining the whole place. If she has her way this place will soon be a major population center. She doesn't know when to stop." "Draal, I don't want to appear ignorant, but I don't know what you are talking about," complained Sheridan. Quickly Delenn jumped in, "Draal I will explain it to him later. The important thing is seeing Lyta." Taking his cue, Draal changed the subject. "Captain, I understand Delenn showed you some of what we have been working on recently. Do you approve?" "Do you mean the improvements or the manner in which they were displayed." "Captain, Delenn wouldn't do anything to have you injured. The test was perfectly safe. We had already performed it several times before that." "Ah, captain, we are here. You can wait in here. These apartments are unused at present. Miss Alexander will be with you shortly." As they entered the room Draal faded out. They found themselves in a moderately sized comfortably furnished room. There were adjoining bathroom, kitchen and sleeping facilities. It was as nice as anything on Babylon 5. Unused meant that Lyta didn't live here. He wondered what her place looked like. At least as nice as this was what he figured. "What do you think John? I don't remember this section being here before. I wonder who is going to live here. Draal wouldn't do this for nothing." They had made themselves drinks and were comfortably situated when the door opened and in came their redheaded telepath. She made herself a drink and found a comfortable seat where she could face everyone at once. She took a sip of her drink and looked from one to another and said nothing. They hadn't seen her in almost six months. A lot had happened since then. She let a smile play over her face. "Is this a business visit?" Delenn replied, no, "this is a family visit." Lifting an eyebrow she asked, "who's?" Ivonava answered, "ours and yours." "Captain?" she asked addressing Sheridan. "Lyta, we have to talk." "Alright you talk. I'll listen. That's the way you operate." "That isn't what I want. Delenn and Susan have forced me to face some things that have been driving me in deep depression. I have been behaving in a manner that isn't always appropriate." "Really." The fact that he was looking at everything except her wasn't lost on anyone. His distress and anxiety were so intense she could barley block it out. Some of it got through despite her best efforts. None of this showed on her face. He was trying to do something he had never dreamed he would be doing. There was another emotion trying to get through. She hid her surprise from the others. She lowered her block slightly to examine it. It wasn't fear, it wasn't distress or anxiety. She had never felt this from Captain Sheridan before. This was what he had been using unbridled anger as a means to escape from. Anger, he used it to hide from the fears he felt. It worked well too. Seeing the captain's distress Delenn and Ivonava asked Lyta to come outside the apartment and talk with them. She did, leaving the captain alone with his demons for the time being. In the passageway Delenn explained what they wanted. Lyta wanted none of it. "Lyta, if you don't, I fear for his mental stability." "How about mine, ambassador. It is easy for you to ask this of me. You have no idea what it could do to me." Susan said, "you know how I feel about scans, but Delenn is right. I think it may do as much for you as it will for him. You never ask for anything from anyone. I know that your mental stability is as solid as a rock. If it weren't, you would have been insane a long time ago. I think you are afraid of what you will find if you scan him." "Explain?" From Delenn, "you are about the same age as John's baby sister. He has fears about her safety and welfare. From his point of view he sees you as another baby sister. Problem is you keep going in harm's way and it drives him up a wall. His anger is how he hides his real feelings of helplessness about the dangers you have faced. Do you care for him?" "Very much. You don't understand what you are asking. This will not be a regular scan. Because were so sensitive to one another this will be a two way scan. He is going to see everything in my mind. Six or eight months ago it would have been easier, but much has happened to me since then. This may screw both of us up. Despite that, you still want me to do this?" "Yes." "Is he in agreement?" "Yes." "I want to be alone with him when I do this. It may take several days. Can you afford to be gone from the station for the duration?" "No. We will return when you call," said Delenn. They turned and walked away. Chapter XVII Reentering the apartment, she noticed that the Captain's eyes were red. She didn't need to be a telepath to see that he was distressed. She explained the dangers to him as she had to Delenn. He nodded okay. "Captain, this is going to be difficult. I want you to think of me as a little sister. I want you to come into the bedroom." He followed her into the bedroom and as instructed held her like he used to hold his baby sister when it was her nap time. Laying on the bed with her head resting on his chest, he became aware of the smell of her. She had closed her eyes and relaxed. It felt as if she were going to sleep. He smelled her hair and thoughts of Delenn welled up in him. The feelings came from nowhere, but they were very intense. He was so enmeshed in these thoughts he never realized when he went to sleep. He went to sleep covering Lyta's hands with his. Skin to skin contact with a very powerful telepath and he wasn't even aware of it. He was kissing his beloved more intensely than ever before. He was so aroused he was having trouble breathing. He had never felt anything like this before in his life. Nothing could feel like this. The feeling of pure ecstasy was unbelievable. He was losing consciousness. He screamed louder than he could ever remember. His whole being was on fire. Pain uninterrupted pain was filling his mind. He could hear his flesh sizzling like frying bacon and feel his eyes melting in their sockets. The air smelled delicious, clean and wonderful. The sky was a deep robin egg blue and the grass smelled like it had been cut that morning. He smelled smoke and hamburgers. It was going to be a wonderful afternoon for the family cookout. His parents, little sister, some aunts and uncles and cousins were here. He couldn't remember a family reunion quite like this one. He was the luckiest man alive. "John, you seem to be preoccupied. I tell you boy, this is something I have waited years for. I can't remember your aunts Ethel and Bernice ever coming to a family get together at the same time. Wonders will never cease to amaze me," he said and slapped the young boy on the back. He was a young man. Of course, this happened before he left home. The cold was bitter and every joint in his body throbbed with pain. Damn, it was cold. There were other pains wracking his body and made it difficult to even attempt sitting up. He thought he saw someone out of the corner of his left eye. He did. It was a figure dressed in black with only the whites of his or her eyes showing. The soft pleasant voice asked, "it would be easier to give us what we want." "What do you want?" he croaked. The pain slammed him down so hard his arm broke as he tried to break his fall. Pure pain not localized, but in every fiber of his being simultaneously. His mind was slipping from him and he could not even scream anymore. The ocean breeze was cool and refreshing. A little ways down the beach some people were having what looked like a picnic. Suddenly, his mother appeared in front of him. She was tied to a large post and looked terrified. As he watched her, the picnickers had approached unnoticed. They began gathering drift wood and placing it around his mothers feet. When he realized what they were going to do he tried to get up to stop them. It felt like he trying to move though solidified gelatin. Before he could reach her, they had set fire to the wood and she was screaming as the fire began to burn her alive. He screamed. It didn't help. The soft voice returned, "give us what we want and it will end." He didn't believe them. He could hear the voice relish the pleasure of these events. He knew the best he could expect at the end would be a horribly painful death. The scenarios changed over time, but his was certain the purpose hadn't. It had been going on for all eternity and feeling his mind finally fail and screaming, "God, please tell me what they want. I will give it to them. Only, please let it end," felt himself, body broken and mind all but destroyed all into infinite blackness. This was John Sheridan's mind's attempt to understand what Lyta had endured at the hands of Psicorps. He had seen horrors no sentient being should see much less experience. After this, the rest was easy. He shared her dreams, knowledge and hopes for the future. He saw everything in her mind. Much he realized was beyond his understanding, but what he could understand made him fill with hope for his own future. Opening his eyes, he realized two things, he was intertwined on the bed with Lyta and he, she, and the bed were soaked with sweat. It felt like several buckets of water had been emptied on them. Lyta opened her eyes and, with her trademark smile, untangled herself from the captain. Getting up she said, "I need a shower badly." then headed for the bathroom. "I already told Draal to send for Delenn. And to bring us some clean clothing. Think about what you want to eat and I will have it sent in. I am starving and so are you." He almost asked how she knew. Then realized she couldn't help but know. While Lyta was in the shower a lady pushing a cart with Lenins and clothing came in followed by a young man pushing another cart. This one was loaded with food. The lady replaced the used bed linens and left extra towels. She said she would return shortly with a selection of clothing. She wasn't gone 5 minutes. She wheeled in a small portable clothes rack and pushed it over to the bathroom. Lyta opened the door and took the offered clothing. The woman then moved over to Captain Sheridan and he selected a light tan pants/shirt combination and matching sweater in addition to some underwear. While waiting his turn in the shower the captain made a close inspection of the food tray. The aromas of vegetables raw and cooked, eggs, meats, breads and some pastries were almost irresistible. There were some things that he didn't recognize, but they smelled delicious. Finally, Lyta came out of the bathroom. "It's all yours, Johnny." Smiling, he replied, "Johnny?" this was something else he would have to get used to. His sister always called him Johnny'. It would raise some eyebrows, but he could live with it. He finished the shower, dressed and joined Lyta at the table. She had a large glass of juice and a steaming cup of tea. He looked across the table and said, "you were right about understanding, it can be difficult." She replied, "in this case, I believe living hell would be more descriptive." She would not get any disagreement from him on that point. He asked how long they were out. When she answered, "four days." He gave a small whistle. "It will be some time before you fully understand all we experienced together. You will probably never feel emotions that intense again. It is doubtful that I will, either." "If I believe all that I saw, you are going to be around for an unimaginable long time in human terms." "Yes, and it has some good points and real downers. The good part is I can look at situations with a long term perspective. The Vorlons and Shadows stagnated because they had inadvertently set things up so there couldn't be any real progress by the lesser races. Lorien being born immortal had knowledge but not the drive to use it. His lack of emotional involvement practically handcuffed him. I have emotions and dreams. I also have the ability to make them come true." "What are the downers?" " I will live to see everyone I hold dear today become dust. I will live to see Babylon crumble from age. I will be here long after all of this has been forgotten by history. I won't commit suicide, so, it will come to pass. And no matter how you look at it, Johnny, that is a rather good description of hell." He wanted to disagree, but he knew she was right. The knowledge he received when they were merged was already beginning to skewer his perspectives. Chapter XVIII As they walked back to Delenn's shuttle, the conversation centered on what Lyta had just told them. "A two way scan," she had said. "Susan, what do you think she means?" "Knowing Lyta, I would take it literally. She showed us just a little of what was done to her. I am afraid John is going to get the whole ball of wax." "Whole ball of wax? What does that mean?" It means, Delenn, he is going to suffer everything she ever has just like it had really happened to him." "Susan. That thought frightens me. What have we convinced John to let himself in for?" "I think pure unadulterated hell is putting it mildly." They had arrived at the shuttle and the conversation stopped. After getting clearance they docked in Babylon 5 and left the ship. Ivonava went to check in with C&C and security and Delenn went to her quarters. Neither woman was happy thinking what must be unfolding on Epsilon III. In fact what was unfolding was another headache for Draal. The projects Manager, Dr. Worel was questions that were going to require Lyta to answer them and he was getting flustered trying to put him off. She picked a fine time to go incommunicado. He didn't dare to disturb her. What she was doing was to important. Besides, Great Machine or no Great Machine, she could hand him his head in a hand basket. He was in awe of her for good reason. She had begun to exercise some of her newfound abilities and had used him and the Great Machine to do it. Gathering his thoughts he told the good doctor he would simply have to wait until the advisor was available. Meanwhile show him the problem and he would try to help as much as possible. Draal had the power of the Great Machine and the enhancements that went with it, but he really couldn't begin to substitute for her. That's why she was setting up a very special schooling and training program. He wondered if the galaxy was ready for this. Women! Give them a millimeter and they take the whole sector. He had to admit, though, he wasn't lonely anymore. Ivonava strolled down to Paul Blaine's office rather late in the evening and surprisingly found him still there. "Dedication or just afraid to go home?" Looking up and smiling he said, "good evening commander to what do I owe this honor?" "I had no plans, so I am out for a walk. I think I don't do this often enough. Care for a drink after you knock off?" "I try not to turn down a free drink. Just give me a few minutes to finish this entry." "Do you have anywhere special in mind?" "No. I thought I might get a table on the second level of the casino and watch the suckers get fleeced?" "You fleece sheep commander." "Call me Susan, Paul. I am out of uniform. I get enough of the commander thing when I am on duty." "Susan, you are always on duty. I am told being military is a twenty four hour a day job." More to follow. From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 20:59:53 -0700 This is last of the first part. Part 2 will start with chapter 23. this is an ASCII (DOS) file. Redheaded Telepath Chapters 19-22 of 23 (so far) This was written in WordPerfect 6.1 , but is formatted as dos text. It was formatted to allow proper viewing with the standard MSDOS editor, however, any ASCII text editor should suffice. This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter XIX "Delenn and Ivonava should be arriving shortly. Draal tells me they were on virtual standby waiting to return." As if on cue the doorbell chimed and Delenn and Susan entered. "Is everyone ready for the dime tour?" they nodded. She led them out of the apartment and down the hallway. Five minutes they approached what must be a laboratory. It had LABORATORY A stenciled on the door. The first thing Delenn saw as they entered the lab was a pretty young blond woman, with something attached to her face, looking at something under a microscope. She looked up and turned to face them when she heard their footsteps. Delenn and Ivonava showed shock on their faces when they recognized the external hardware the Shadows used on people they put in their ships. In a pleasant voice, "good morning Lyta. Going to introduce me to your friends?" she was beaming at them. Lyta made introductions and explained that she had been able to make it possible for the affected telepaths to be awakened without losing their sanity. "I am working with them to rebuild their personalities. The mental part is very hard. The hardware is inconsequential. We are working on the technology that will allow removal of the hardware without further damage to the person. The way this was done by the Shadows and their helpers was akin to having your butcher's assistant perform delicate brain surgery. Very sloppy. They never intended these people to be removed from their ships. That is why Anna's personality was destroyed when she was removed. With the techniques we are developing, we could have removed her and rebuilt her personality to the point that she would been better than new." John. Delenn, and Ivonava questioned Linda for a few minutes passed some humor back and forth until Lyta motioned for them to follow her. "Yes, John, I could do the same for Bester's woman. In fact we are doing it now." He already knew it. The verbalization was for Delenn and Ivonava. Bester is in for a surprise though." From Ivonava, "how so?" From Sheridan, "he had an active part in getting the program, for using the telepaths who wouldn't work for Psicorps in the shadow ships, set up and running. Problem was he didn't know all that when he did it.. He has his own agenda and figured he could play both ends against the middle. He knew before he came to Babylon 5 with the tale of shadow weapons components that she was in that particular shipment. Now she knows the whole story They all will. They are told that as one of the things they relearn after being thawed out. If he is lucky she'll only kill him next time she sees him." "Lyta, are you returning to Babylon 5 with us?" asked Ivonava. Just then Draal made an appearance, "go with them. You can handle the project from there." "Okay, let me change first." Delenn said, "Lyta you are ravishing in that getup. Why do you want to change?" "I can't keep a low profile dressed like this." "Arriving on a shuttle coming directly from Epsilon III kills that possibility," noted Captain Sheridan. Besides there is someone wanting to meet you." "I know." "You would," said three voices in unison. "Ladies, shall we take our leave?" asked them as they approached the shuttle. Saying goodbye to Draal they entered the shuttle and prepared to depart. Chapter XXI It had been three weeks since Lyta had returned to the station. She had been ferreting information out of various members of an underground movement. Unfortunately none of them had much to "tell'. The observer she had sensed must have left the station immediately after the assassination attempt. She had time. Question was did she have enough of it. She received a call from Sheridan informing her of a limited staff meeting in his office. She headed toward C&C. She was the last to arrive. She took a seat, relaxed and asked, " what's up Johnny." Sheridan didn't seem to notice, and immediately went into a short synopsis of raids that were occurring in some of the lessor patrolled sectors. He asked Ivonava to give the background details. She elaborated on his presentation and sat back down. He asked Lyta for an update on the Whitestar upgrades. "White star two has full modifications on weapons and armor. About 75% modifications on artificial gravity and sensors. The engine modifications are just starting. We have upgraded sensors on three of the Minbari heavy cruisers and we are upgrading station sensors, armor and main batteries." "When did the station modifications begun?" "Before you came to Epsilon III this last time. They are being installed disguised as repairs and routine maintenance. The personnel installing them are not even aware of what they are really doing. They can't talk about what they don't know. If they accidentally find out, I erase it." He already knew all this, but gave no outward indication. Her reasoning was flawless. He thought, "You really can't give away information you don't have." The next time they were attacked, someone would get a very rude awakening. Aloud he said, "I wonder how long it will be before anyone notices the changes in our armor." Lyta responded, "it has been designed to look exactly like the old armor. There should not be anything in its appearance for anyone to notice. The improved weapons components cannot be distinguished from the old ones without tearing them apart. They will self-destruct internally if anyone tries that." "Has being here interfered with your work on Epsilon III?" He was thinking of Linda and her friends." "No." After the meeting broke up Lyta remained behind. "Johnny, I am sure the assassination attempt is tied in to the raids you just briefed uson. The only people to be directly involved are local muscle hired anonymously. I suspect that at least one of our diplomatic delegation is involved. Because of his involvement with the Shadows and the subsequent loss of Narn and other subject worlds, I suspect that Londo has more than a passing interest in these happenings." "You propose to scan him?" "No. Not unless I get something solid against him. If I can prove he is involved he will really regret it." Sheridan hoped for Londo's benefit that he wasn't involved. His sharing of Lyta's memories of what mental tortures a telepath could generate were truly frightening. "How are things going on the domestic front?" he inquired. "We have being going out, but it is a brother and sister relationship. He has been very sweet. Don't worry about me," replied Lyta. "I'm not. I'm worried about him. His lack of any female relationships in the past is a real stumbling block." "Don't worry I will handle it," she smiled. "I am counting on you," he said through a grin. She was thinking of how to handle' it as she crossed C&C. Ivonava and Delenn were waiting for her. In unison they said, "Johnny?" "His sister always calls him that. It just comes out. I think I really think of him as a big brother now," Lyta replied. That evening Lyta and Paul had dinner with Ivonava and Franklin. It was routine except for Steven doing his take on a popular comedian. After dinner Paul and Lyta took a walk in the park area and talked. They walked home continuing harmless banter. They had gotten changed and were in bed. "Time to handle it' she thought getting out of bed. Going into Paul's room she sat down on the edge of his bed. He turned over and asked, "is something wrong?" "Yes," she answered and leaned over him. She felt a wave of panic from him. She kissed him and immediately felt a kaleidoscope of emotions. In a moment they were replaced by one so powerful it blotted out everything else, desire. Chapter XXII Next morning in his office while having his coffee Paul was distracted to the point of being oblivious to all going around him. He was replaying last night in his mind. He was jostled so hard he almost fell out of his chair. Barbara and Ivonava were staring at him. "Are you alright Paul?" asked Barbara. "Yes, sure. Hello Ivonava what can I do for you?' "Nothing I just stopped to say hi and steal a cup of tea," she smiled. Somehow this didn't look like her usual hello smile. "I just finished having breakfast with Lyta. She was beaming. Did everything go alright last night?" "Yes. Just fine why?" "She just seemed to be in a better mood than I've seen in ages." "We took a walk in the park area and she seemed to enjoy it immensely." "That must be it. Thanks for the tea." After Ivonava left, Paul said to Barbara, "why do I get the idea there is an ongoing joke amongst Ambassador Delenn, Susan, and Lyta and the joke is me? I even felt it last time I talked to the captain." "Paul, I assure you aren't a joke to any of them. Prey maybe, victim possibly, but joke, never." she replied. His expression was pure question. "Talk to Lyta." He would. She could bet on it. That evening he and Lyta ate in. It seemed that they were both reasonably good cooks. They talked and ate for awhile. Lyta cleared the dishes and he wiped the table. She took a shower and put on pajamas then sat down to watch ISN propaganda for a few minutes. He came out of the shower and sat on the other end of the couch. She was clean and smelled very good. He was several feet away and could feel desire start to build. He stifled it and asked, "about last night?" She studied him before responding, "did it bother you?" "It's just that I had never been with a woman before last night." "Paul, how do you feel about me?" "You already know the answer to that." "I want to hear it from you." "If you want to hear me say I love you, I'm sorry. I'm not sure what love is. However, I want to be with you. I had feelings for you before I had even seen a picture of you. You have me at a disadvantage." "You already know that I did a deep scan on you when you first came aboard the station. What you don't know is that nothing since then has just happened' except for the captain assigning you to my quarters. I had nothing to do with that. I could have had you moved when I came back aboard." "Why didn't you?" "Remember last night?" "As if I could forget. What about it?" "That didn't just happen." "Somehow, I didn't think so." "When I scanned you, I liked what I found. Honesty, to a fault. Compassion, love, and you are not bad looking. I am sorry, but that was when I decided that I wanted you and I don't do one night stands." she stood and held out her hand. He stood up and took it. As they walked to the her bed she said, "I will have the other bed removed tomorrow." Paul knew where this was going and thought about the fact that no one except his parents had ever cared for him before. Now there were a group of people who cared for him, one in particular. Captain Sheridan, Delenn, and Ivonava were conducting a strategy session centered on the reports of attacks on shipping and isolated colonies and low tech planets. It was decided to field test the Whitestar II and a battlecruiser. They were to be sent to the area of the latest attacks and make their presence felt. The rangers would man and fight them. Conditions on Narn, Centari Prime, Minbar and some other allied worlds were discussed at length. The propaganda from earth was unabated and getting more sinister with each passing day. It was discussed that as soon as enough ships had been upgraded they would be used to escort vessels through the earth blockade. The final decision would be made after consulting with their present allies. It would be made clear to them that if and when this became necessary the rules of engagement would be shoot-to-kill'. Ivonava asked, "have either of you seen Paul lately?" Delenn said she had seen him earlier that morning. Sheridan said he had talked with him yesterday. "Did he seem okay to you?" "He was just fine. Why? Inquired Sheridan. "Lyta said that she had handled their problem. What did she mean?" "The prey had been caught," answered the captain. "You mean...?" "Yes. Lyta had facility supplies people remove the second bed." At that Lyta entered his office said good morning and got a cup of coffee. She looked at her friends. They were all smiles. "Something I should know?" "We were discussing hunters and prey," quipped Delenn. "Oh? What kind of hunters and prey?" "Red headed telepaths and tall handsome helpless men named Paul," answered Ivonava. "I caught him fair and square. He didn't object. I had the bed removed because we don't need it anymore. You know, I really don't need sleep like you do. But that's not why I am here. I want to have someone run me through the starfury trainer. I know how to fly one, but I need to practice for proficiency." "May I ask why?" asked the captain. "I need the experience to help in developing some improvements for them." He thought for a moment, "this is a completely new idea isn't it." "Yes. I need another favor." "Name it." "Draal has been scanning space around Aereana VI and found remains of Shadow and Vorlon vessels that were destroyed there. I want as many pieces of each of them as I can get. The larger the better." "We are starting to patrol some of the less developed sectors. We will do what we can. When do you want to begin in the simulator?" "Today if it is possible." "Commander, it's yours to handle." Ivonava, "Lyta follow me. How is Paul?" "He is even nicer and sweeter than my scans revealed." "It's time something good happened to you." This is not the end. The files are too large to send as one unit and this is a works in progress. It's a good stress reducer. There will be more to follow. From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath ch 23-25 Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 22:57:22 -0700 Redheaded Telepath Chapters 23-25 of 26 (so far) This 'little' tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter XXIII Paul awoke from a deep sleep with his head spinning and his stomach churning. Hopping out of bed headed for the bathroom. He heard sounds of retching issuing from the inside of the bathroom. A few minutes later Lyta came out of the bathroom. She explained that she must have had a reaction to something they had eaten the night before. Next time they went to Earhart's she would more careful what she ordered. Paul's queasiness abated and he went back to bed. It had been three months since Lyta had returned to the station and two months since she and Paul had gotten married. It had been a small affair officiated by Brother Theo and attended by only her closest fiends. As she got back in bed she made a mental note to check in with Doctor Franklin later this morning. In Med-lab the duty doctor was hip deep in sick people and aliens. The place was a stinking mess. The whole station must be affected. What could make the whole station sick at once? Ten minutes after he was called Franklin arrived in sickbay . He didn't believe his eyes. He called C&C. The answering face looked ill. He started to explain his problem and was cut off. Apparently C&C was experiencing the same malady. Tonight was going to get longer. At 0700 Lyta called Med-lab. A haggard Doctor Franklin answered. "Steven, could I come by for a quick check up this morning. I was sick last night and I don't know why." If it had been anyone but Lyta, Steven would have been short and sharp, but Lyta didn't just get sick, ever. "Lyta, we are swamped down here. We have thousands of people in here since last night and all have been showing symptoms of dizziness and vomiting all over the place. Can I call you back when we get straightened out down here?" "Of course Steven. It's nothing that won't wait." "I am sorry to call this meeting at a time when most of the station is turning itself out, but we have a real problem." said Captain Sheridan. "The entire Babylon 5 population including various aliens were assailed by some form of dizziness and stomach distress at about 0300 this morning." "Captain where did it start?" asked a supply lieutenant. "It hit everywhere at once. It didn't have a single starting point." Ivonava, "captain, we checked all the various station logs the only thing noted was an energy surge from Epsilon III. It wasn't focused at any point. It was almost like a large burp." The meeting continued for and hour while details were worked out to get the station cleaned up. A decision to further investigate the phenomenon was reached and the meeting was adjourned. "Lyta, stay. I need to speak to you." requested the captain. Lyta remained seated as the other others left. "I understand even you were sick last night." "Yes. I can't explain it. I have an appointment in Med-lab in a few minutes." "Your being sick bothers me . I didn't think you could just get sick." "Neither did I. Welcome to reality. Johnny, I really do have to get down to Med-lab." He nodded his head and she left. An hour later in sickbay Doctor looked at Lyta and said, "we have found your problem. You seem to have three heartbeats." "Three heartbeats??" "You are pregnant, and you're suffering morning sickness, but you can probably control it to some extent." "That answers the question about having children. Steven my sickness happened at the same time that everyone else got sick. Do you think there is a connection?" "I don't know. I'm not sure how to check it out. Are you going to tell the captain? Three heartbeats means you are carrying twins." "Yes. Be careful what you ask for..." she said in a tired voice. She was heading for the office across the Zoccolo when she saw Paul, Ivonava, Zack, and Barbara having lunch. She approached and took an offered seat. All eyes were on her. "What?" she asked. Paul asked, "did Steven find anything wrong?" "Yes." she replied noncommittally. They were obviously waiting for her to continue. "He found two growths in my abdomen." They all looked both surprised and worried. Ivonava asked, "what kind of growths?" He said that I need not worry. They would go away by themselves." "How long," asked Paul. He had a worried expression on his face. "About six or seven months." she replied. She couldn't keep the straight face any longer an smiled." The four friends looked confused. "I am pregnant. I am carrying twins." Her friends realized they had been had. Ivonava smiled. Either Lyta had developed a wicked sense of humor or she had side to her personality no one had dreamed existed before. Here came the captain and Delenn. They stopped at the table and were told the news. There were congratulations for Paul and Lyta. The captain told them he had contacted Draal and that everyone on Epsilon III suffered the same sickness as the station at the exact same time. Even Draal had been affected. "Captain, I think I know what happened last night," said Ivonava. "You do?" Yes. Everyone was sick at the same time Lyta was sick. I think that we all inadvertently shared her first bout of morning sickness." Delenn asked, "that is part of human reproduction?" Lyta said, "yes. I think I have it under control now. I wasn't expecting it last night." The look from the captain was one of mock despair. "You think you can control it?" "Yes. I discussed it with the doctor. I can't stop all of the physical effects on me, but I can control the mental projection part." As they left the captain said to Delenn, "now I understand women better." Delenn shot him a bemused look that said, "really." Chapter XXIV The testing of the pieces of Vorlon and Shadow vessels had been in progress for some months and thanks to the new equipments that had been developed, the engineers and scientist were obtaining mountains of new data. Processing it and analyzing it were the tough problems. The data didn't reveal its secrets easily. They had been fortunate enough to get a couple of dead watcher' devices. It was hard to determine if they were individually sentient or simply a conduit for a master controller. They had learned how to handle pieces of Shadow without undue danger. They had been able to duplicate some of its properties in a rudimentary way. They wanted to test weapons against it. It would take time. They had better luck with the Vorlon technology. They had been able to get it to grow for some months. Lately they had been able to get better control of how it grew. They thought they were light-years away from an organic ship. Time would prove them wrong. Worel was very pleased with his teams. The minbari side added stability and the humans provided a drive that was hard to believe. The integrating of the teams had given him a staff that wouldn't give up that was intensely focused and stable. Really, it was all one could wish for. They had used the test data gleaned from the pieces of Vorlon and Shadow vessels to invent a beam of phased energy that could break molecular bonds without releasing astronomical quantities of energy. It would be a devastating weapon when it was deployed. A Whitestar gunboat would be able to virtually disintegrate almost anything. The new beam could destroy the Whitestar armor that had the latest modifications, but only when the beam was held on the armor for an extended period of time. Ambassador Delenn and the advisor would be pleased with their progress. Onboard Babylon 5, Commander Ivonava was giving the captain an up date on the lastest clashes between a force consisting of the Whitestar II and a Minbari cruiser that was chasing renegades and pirates. It was getting to the point that the renegades and pirates would run at the opening of a jumpgate. The renegade/pirate losses were taking a serious toll. "Captain, the Whitestar II and cruiser are returning for r&r and repairs on the cruiser, explained Ivonava. "How about Whitestar II?" "She doesn't report any damage. The new armor works better than expected." "When are they due to arrive." "Four days from now. I will schedule a complete debriefing with both captains and their immediate staffs." Sheridan nodded approval. Ivonava turned to leave and the captain picked up the next piece of paper. At the arrival briefing the captain got good and bad news. One of the raiders that been encountered had been a Narn heavy cruiser. The ship had been in the process of attacking a pair of merchant transports, when the Minbari cruiser had exited hyperspace to answer the distress call from the transports. When they were challenged for identification, the Narn cruiser and her fighters commenced an unprovoked attack on the Minbari cruiser. At that time the Whitestar II entered normal space firing on the Narn fighters even while she was still in the jumpgate. She had suffered direct hits from the Narn cruiser's main batteries. She suffered no damage and had literally vaporized the cruiser. The bad news was one of the fighters had escaped into hyperspace. Sheridan's policy on renegades and pirates was no prisoners taken except for intelligence gathering purposes. Prisoners were shown the same mercy they had showed to their victims. Chapter XXV "Ambassador G'kar this is the data crystal I informed you about," said his aide. G'kar had heard about the loss of the heavy cruiser Ba'lth. He had been informed that it was destroyed in a Centari ambush. No amplifying data had been forthcoming from home world. Londo had denied the accusation, but that was to be expected. Maybe this data crystal would hold the truth. His aide had told him it was taken from a Narn fighter that had escaped the destruction. G'kar watched the data unfold on the large wall monitor. He saw the unprovoked attack on the transports, the arrival of the Minbari cruiser, the attack on it and the arrival of one of the Whitestar ship. The battle and its results were astonishing. The Whitestar had offered surrender to the Narn cruiser and returned fire when the cruiser attacked. Witnessing the cruiser breakup like a water filled balloon thrown against a mesh fence was frightening. He already knew Sheridan had destroyed two Shadow Battle cruisers with Whitestar I, but the firepower demonstrated here was magnitudes beyond that. It was time to put in a call to home world. He wanted to know what idiot had allowed this to happen. In Earthdome the same data was being reviewed by Earthgov inner circle representatives. "Is this for real," inquired the president. "Yes sir. The ship doing all the damage is under control of John Sheridan and Minbari Ambassador Delenn," answered the top Psicop. "The Narn heavy cruiser had main batteries at least as powerful as our best ships. Our estimates are that this ship could wipe out anything presently in our fleet. " "It didn't look like they were very effective," said the vice president. Referring to the Narn weapons. "Could they have this technology installed in Babylon 5?" asked a General Phillips who was sitting half way down the table. "We don't know for sure. I would expect they would at the earliest opportunity. I would. You can probably rest assured that they have more than one of these ships so equipped," replied another general. "What you gentlemen are saying is that another assault on Babylon 5 might not be a good idea?" the president asked to no one in particular. "It would be a slaughter of our personnel with no hope for success," answered the Psicop. "Gentlemen if there is nothing else, this meeting is adjourned," said President Clark. Aside the president addressed the Psicop, "Robert how is the telepath situation on Babylon 5." "Sir, we can't seem to operate there. As soon as we exit the jumpgate into Epsilon three space our best people seem to go blank. They aren't even able to read each other. As soon as they exit that part of space they return to normal. We have, so far, been unable to explain it. We are working on it," explained the Psicop. He did not let his true feelings about any of this color his verbal responses. More to come... From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath ch. 26-28 Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 21:13:02 -0700 Redheaded Telepath Chapters 26-28 of 32 (so far) . This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter XXVI "How am I doing Doctor Franklin?" asked Carolyn Blakstin. "According to Doctor Abbot both you and the baby are doing just fine, despite of the lack of prenatal care. You should deliver sometime in the next few weeks," replied Doctor Franklin. "And you Mrs. Blaine are in perfect health and so are your twins. You should deliver about a month after Carolyn does." "As they left Med-lab Lyta said, "lets meet Paul for lunch. I feel like eating out." The women headed for Paul's office talking in low voices. They could have had the conversation without talking, but it wasn't a good habit to do it in public. They didn't notice the tourist who was taking pictures of everything in sight. Who ever does? As they ordered a light lunch, Ivonava approached the table. "Hi guys, may I join you?" she asked. "Of course Susan," responded Lyta. The conversation was centered on babies and their care. Paul almost felt left out. "You aren't going to be left out, Paul," said Lyta. "I will make sure you experience it with me." "I don't think sharing should go that far." In an Earthgov analysis center, the data availably from the crystal was being viewed again and again as information from it was being fed into the large supercomputers to determine just what it was they were observing. The scenes were dissected and what they showed still didn't make any sense. The small starship that had done all the damage was targeting fighters and firing on them even as it exited hyperspace. That would indicate a tracking system that could define a target in normal space while still in hyperspace. Present physics had said that wasn't possible. General Phillips had noted that the pilots of the affected Narn fighters would, if they could, probably argue that point. Whatever the ship was using against the fighters didn't show up as regular pulse cannon fire. It was almost invisible. The results were devastating. When the fire hit the fighters they seemed to breakup and disperse like an expanding gas cloud. No explosion just dispersal. While it was destroying the fighters, the ship was being constantly bombarded by the main batteries of the Narn cruiser. She was demanding the Narns surrender at the same time. When she ran out of fighters between herself and the Narn cruiser she opened fire with what must have been her main weapon system. Her pulse weapons' had been tearing the cruiser apart. The main battery output looked like a larger version of the smaller systems fire. When it hit the cruiser it began to expand into a large gas cloud. There were no explosions. Even the engines did not explode. "I have seen something similar to this once before," said a voice from the back of the small audience. "Where," demanded the general. "During the Earth-Minbari War. We tried to open one jumpgate inside another. The results on the test ship was very similar to this. Large amounts of energy were dissipated when the jumpgate was destroyed and the ship involved was reduced an expanding gas cloud. What is missing here is the release of large amounts of energy, unless the energy is being released into hyperspace," continued the man who had spoken before. "In fact, what you just saw might be possible if you could fire a piece of hyperspace out of a gun barrel." "Okay. Say, we accept that without no argument. How do you get hit with the output from heavy fusion cannons without being destroyed or seriously damaged?" "Sorry general, I don't even begin to have any ideas about that," replied the older man. Chapter XXVII The head Psicop had called a meeting of his top operatives. He was really worried. Eight months and they were no closer to an answer now than they were then. Following a thorough discussion of all the effects reported by telepaths who had been sent to Babylon 5 it was apparent that there was some type of damping field being used on them. It was decided to run a series of tests to determine the extent of the effects as a function of distance using Babylon 5 as imaginary center. Problems arose concerning just what was going to be tested. It was going to be like looking for a needle in a dozen haystacks. Not having any idea what the needle might look like was adding a degree of difficulty. Back on Babylon 5, Lyta figured that sooner or later Psicorps would start hunting for the source that was interfering with their telepaths. She would stop jamming all of them and only jam them on an individual basis as necessary. Since the hardware was being removed from the revived telepaths, they could be brought to the station to keep any outside telepaths under observation and control. The apparent randomness of effects would drive them up the walls. She had known that using Draal as a power source and scanning the telepaths that been sent aboard the station after they returned to earth would pay off. With so much inside information, it shouldn't be to hard to cause enough problems for President Clark that his friends' would want him gone. She was getting strong enough that she needed only minimal help from the great machine. Very soon she wouldn't need any. Only the fact that she had begun training and restraining her twins, while they were still in her womb, required her to use the great machine now. She would have been surprised to know just who in earthgov shared her feelings. Sheridan and Ivonava were watching the ISN broadcast to see what the next lies would be. The newscaster was reporting on a Narn warship that had been attacked and destroyed in an unprovoked action by forces known to be under Babylon 5 military control. The video that followed showed a Whitestar gunboat completely destroying a Narn cruiser with what looked to be a beam type weapon. There were no fighters shown and the Narn cannon fire wasn't present. A Minbari warship was visable in the background. The video stopped and the newscaster was emphasizing the absence of any hostile actions on the part of the Narn vessel. Looks passed between Ivonava and Sheridan. "Captain, that was the same video as what we have from our crews." "Yes, and if we didn't know better we would believe it too. Since they have shown theirs we might as well show ours." "You mean add it to our broadcast?" "First we rerun their own transmission and then run ours and show how the original was altered." "I will get the technicians on it right away," and Susan left the captains office. Sheridan's comm link buzzed. "Sheridan here," he said. "Captain Miss Blakstin just gave birth to a 3.5 kilogram girl. Both mother and daughter are doing fine," said Doctor Franklin. Sheridan's next thought was how Bester was going to react to having his lover and his daughter on Babylon 5 during a firefight. His next thought was that they would be evacuated to Epsilon III before that. He intended for all the recovered telepaths to be evacuated before the shooting began. He hoped making Lyta go wasn't going to be a problem. Chapter XXVIII Somewhere in Earthdome planners were discussing the implications of the video that had been presented to the inner circle. The concerns expressed were centered on gathering enough intelligence to formulate a plan to attack Babylon 5 one more time. Intent was to destroy the space station. No attempt at capturing it would be made. The edited video would serve as a pretext of destroying an outlaw pirate base of operations. Since the capital ships could generate their own jump points they would attack Babylon 5 from all directions at once. It was decided to use almost everything except a small force which would be left to guard earth. The plan would mean a swift and decisively fatal end to the station. Aboard Babylon 5 the newly arrived telepaths found that they could use their abilities. The word about past problems must have been exaggerated. No one questioned their arrival or their movements. They were unaware that everything they did, said, or thought was being monitored. Their own arrogance was going to prove to be their worst enemy. In Med-lab Captain Sheridan was saying to Lyta, "you think it is a good idea to let these Psicops run around unfettered?" "Yes. They are being constantly monitored," responded Lyta. "It was a forgone conclusion that Clark would use the video of the Narn cruiser's destruction as an excuse to attack Babylon 5 again. By letting the Psicops do their thing, I am able to establish links between them and my telepaths that will enable us to learn their most closely guarded secrets. You didn't think my people were here for shopping and games did you?" "Your people? Why do you refer to them that way?" "I gave them their lives and sanity back. There were no strings attached. They seem to feel a deep appreciation toward me for that. Think of how you feel about Lorien. I left it up to them to go or stay. They chose to stay. They hate President Clark and especially Psicorps. They know they can go back home when he and Psicorps are gone." "Have you developed an agenda that you haven't talked about?" Flinching with the pain of a contraction she said, "yes. I intend to help you take down Clark and I intend to destroy Psicorps. After we get rid of Clark I will begin my campaign against Psicorps. I don't mean to do them physical harm. I will destroy their organization. They have almost destroyed our planet and our way of life. They won't be given a second chance." "How do you figure they almost destroyed the planet?" "Captain, Paul it's time for her to go to the delivery room," broke in Dr. Abbot. "Johnny, the Vorlons were destroying everything that had been touched by the Shadows. Do you really think they wouldn't have destroyed earth?" "I hadn't thought of it that way before. Your point is made. What are your telepaths going to do when they get back to earth?" As she was wheeled into the isolation room that had been temporarily converted to a delivery room, she said, "all they want is to live their lives without looking over their shoulders. They want what we all want. Just to be left alone. None of them want anything to do with running the place." "You would know it if they did." The two Psicops had been aboard Babylon 5 for two weeks and had been wandering around all open areas of the station. They had scanned hundreds of maintenance and what operations personnel they could find. Now, sitting at a small cafe table in the Zoccolo they were mentally comparing the results of their efforts. They were not the only operatives here. The last month had been a major intelligence effort. "It's obvious they haven't had time to make any changes to the station," noted the leader. "I don't see what the fuss is all about. This place won't last two hours in an all out attack," said his companion. "I wouldn't make any hasty judgements. Sheridan has record of pulling lost rabbits out of his hat," cautioned the first. "When he passed us last week I tried to scan him. All I got was zip. No shields, there just wasn't anything there, that seems odd." "We haven't been able to scan any of the command staff since we have arrived here." The leader ended the conversation' saying, "we just report our findings. Let the analysis boys make what they can of it. Besides our ship leaves in two hours." The two finished their drinks and left. They had not noticed the two young males watching them. They had not noticed them for any of the two weeks they had been under observation. One of the men contemptuously thought at the other one, "to think we were made to fear such as these." His partner shot back at him, "don't think too badly of them, after all, they have never had any experience with a real' telepath before." With that they followed the Psicops until they boarded their ship and were gone. They lost mental contact when the ship entered hyperspace. More to come. From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath ch. 29-31 Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 21:15:13 -0700 Redheaded Telepath Chapters 29-31 of 32 (so far) . This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter XXIX Months later in Earthdome, the strategy meeting had been in progress for more than an hour. The analysis of the Babylon 5 situation was that the Whitestar vessel seen in the video presented earlier was most likely all the rebels' had. There was apparently no evidence of any of these weapons and armor having been installed in Babylon 5 itself. The fact that none of the telepaths could scan any of the command staff didn't seem to bother anyone but the head of Psicorps. He had stated his misgivings and sat down. The generals and admirals weren't happy with the plan, but they agreed that to allow Babylon 5 time to upgrade its systems would be an even greater mistake. The decision was made to destroy Babylon 5 and the meeting broke up. There were planning meetings and myriad details to attend to in preparation for the coming assault. In Psicorps headquarters the meetings were in progress about how the telepathic community could support the upcoming operations. "I don't want any of our people in the attacking ships if it can be avoided," said the director. "We were not able to read the command staff. That leaves too many unanswered questions in my mind." "Sir, is there any theory about why we can't read them," asked a younger man. "Alfred. Can you supply any thoughts on the issue?" asked the top cop. "The last time I went to Babylon 5, I tried to scan the command staff at a meeting I held with them. Lyta Alexander was there at Captain Sheridan's insistence. I objected, but she stayed," said Bester. He was interrupted by another young Psicop. "Isn't she a rogue?" "Yes," answered Bester. "Why, didn't you arrest her?" he continued. "You don't go into a lions den and pull the male lion's whiskers if you value your health. Babylon 5 is Sheridan's den," Bester answered again. "My point is she is a P-5 and shouldn't have been of any consequence, but when I attempted to scan the command staff she blocked me out. When I tried to scan her she damned near took my head off. That's why you can't scan the command staff." "Do you think it is possible that she is responsible for our people not being able to function in close proximity to Babylon 5 in the recent past?" asked the director. "I would put credits on it and give good odds," replied Bestor. Then I am going to assume that the fact that we have operated unencumbered recently wasn't an accident, but was probably planned," continued the director. "Sir, I agree with you. That would mean that our forces are walking into a trap. Sheridan wants this attack. He will destroy most of earthforce's starships and be able to claim self-defense," replied Bestor. "That's why we are going to leave the remainder of our people onboard Babylon 5. Their removal would serve to alert Sheridan to when the attack is coming. Let me emphasis, we must make sure that none of our people are on the attacking ships if it can be avoided. This is a no mercy' attack and I believe none of the attacking ships are likely to survive," responded the director. "Personally, I believe the upgrades have already been installed. The lack of any information about them being in progress is in itself suspect. "Sir?" asked someone from the back of the room, "if this is a concern why is the plan proceeding?" "Son, I voiced these misgivings in the staff meeting. The intelligence analysis specialists argued that there was no real evidence to support my views. President Clark wants this to happen, so they tell him what he wants to hear and the generals and admirals are his yes' men.," replied the director. "Sir, is it true that the Minbari war cruisers have returned to Minbar due to conflicts going on there?" the same man continued. "Yes. The other races aligned with Babylon 5 have also withdrawn their warships. The cargo and passenger ships are required to orbit the station at a minimum of 50,000 kilometers. I truly believe these occurrences are intended to maintain a killing zone around the station with minimum chance of damaging friendly shipping. I can't really see any other reasonable explanation," concluded the director. After the meeting had been dismissed, the director took Bester aside and said, "I understand Carolyn Blakstin was seen aboard Babylon 5." Bester nodded, "I was shown a picture of a very pregnant woman that looked like her, but there was no sign of the Shadow implants. If it was her then they have advanced their medical technology beyond anything here on earth." The director reflected on that last statement. Chapter XXX In another small conference room somewhere else in Earthdome, a meeting was taking place between three generals and two admirals. They were discussing their misgivings about the decision to attack Babylon 5. They reviewed the videos of the Whitestar destroying the Narn Cruiser over and over again. One general pointed out repeatedly that if this ship could get a firing solution on a ship in real space while it was still in hyperspace that the inverse was probably true. "If they can target one way I am willing to bet my life that they can target the other way. It means that when our ships exit hyperspace they will already be under fire. It also means that to avoid this they will have to enter real space much farther from Babylon 5 than was first thought. It is going to be a slaughter, ours," said the senior general present. "We will have to make sure the forces under our control are left behind to defend earth. This may finally be the opportunity we need to bring the nonsense of the last few years to an end," intoned one of the admirals. "I just wish it wasn't going to cost so many lives." "I don't believe any of the decisions and choices leading up to this were ours to make. There was a figure in twentieth century earth that ran amuck like President Clark has. It was in Germany, his name was Adolph Hitler. He led his nation to utter destruction. The stakes here are much higher," said the other admiral. "Sheridan is a master tactician. I am glad I don't have to fight him,' said the older general. "Fear, general?" asked the senior admiral. "No. Healthy respect. He has a record of getting out of tight spots and besting superior forces. That alone would be enough to make me have second thoughts about this mission, but it looks like he may have superior forces. To not be a little frightened of that prospect is pure stupidity," replied the older man. "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid." In Psicorps headquarters Bester had met with the director and requested that he be permitted to observe the coming fight. The director reflected on the request. He knew Bester had something up his sleeve besides his arm. He could scan him, but Bester would know in an instant. Besides Bester would play it close to his chest to maintain plausible deniability for Psicorps and his superior officers. "Where are you going to observe from?" "Babylon 5. I will be safe," replied Bester. "It's your funeral Alfred, but good luck anyway." Shaking his head, he watched Bestor leave and couldn't help thinking that there was a boy that definitely marched to a different drummer. Bester's attitude made him feel pity for what earthforce was going pay for this excursion. The director had never met Captain Sheridan, but his record spoke of someone to be reckoned with even if he wasn't a telepath. Telepathy wasn't everything. It was a poor substitute for a really intelligent mind. He had thought that putting Clark into the presidency was a mistake when it had been done. The man had a god complex. His removal couldn't come too soon. He knew that all wasn't right in the ranks and his lack of knowledge about it bothered him. He had heard about the dark allies'. He hadn't been brought in on it. That bothered him even more. One or more of his fellow directors wasn't what he appeared to be. After the political mess in earthgov was straightened out he would give it his undivided attention. Chapter XXXI When he arrived on Babylon 5, Bester was surprised that there wasn't anyone waiting for him. In fact he could have been anybody for all the attention he received. Something was up. When he had last talked to the director two weeks ago, he had felt the twinge of regret the director had not outwardly expressed. He passed through customs and proceeded toward the Zoccolo. If observations were to be believed everything aboard the station was normal. He could hear the background buzz of thoughts being given off by the people around him. There wasn't any fear to be felt. He proceeded to the office of the stations official' telepath. Entering the office he was greeted by a pretty young lady who asked what she could do for him. "I would like to see Mister Blaine, if it isn't an intrusion," said Bester politely. Paul Blaine opened the door as Bester made his request. "How may I help you, Mr. Bester?" asked Blaine. "You know me?" asked Bester. "I have seen your picture before. What can I do for you?" Paul responded. "I am looking for Miss Carolyn Blakstin." "I don't do missing persons. What you want is security. They are just across the hall, and yes, from your perspective I am a blip. However, don't expect me to cower." "You scanned me!" "Yes, what makes you think you are so special? You think you can do whatever you want with blips. The game is over on that issue." responded Paul. "Don't bother because you know you are not sorry in the least." Whatever he had been expecting, this wasn't it. This man had gone through his blocks. He had not even been aware of it. He began to think that this whole thing may have been engineered from Babylon 5. But how? "Why don't you ask Lyta?" blasted in his mind. It had cut through his blocks as if they weren't even there. "I will," he replied in an even voice. Crossing the hall he entered the security office and told the young officer that he was trying to find Miss Carolyn Blakstin. He was given the information about how to contact Lyta Blaine. Before he could leave security the comm panel buzzed. Captain Sheridan told the officer to send Mr. Bester to C&C. Bester left security wondering at how things were different. He had come down in the world. No escort and no drugs to suppress his telepathic abilities, he felt depressed. He was unaware of the young man who remained just out of sight. He was being watched, just not brazenly. In Sheridan's office Bester was handed coffee and told to be seated. He sat down and waited. "Captain, you found a way to remove the things in the telepaths' heads didn't you?" asked Bester. "We did. What brings you to Babylon 5 at a time like this?" queried Sheridan. "Time like what, captain?" "We are going to be attacked very soon, Mr. Bester. This is not a safe place to be. But you already know that. So why are you here. It is a bad seat if you are looking for a fireworks display." "Captain, don't insult my intelligence. You have orchestrated this whole affair. Only a fool like President Clark and his lackeys would believe otherwise." "Mr. Bester, you give me too much credit. I had nothing to do with any orchestration of anything. I don't have very much time for pleasantries and Lyta wants to see you in her quarters." "Do you know why?" "Yes, she needs a babysitter for her sons." "Captain Sheridan, I have a picture of someone on the station who looks very much like Carolyn. Is she on the station?" asked Bester. "Yes and that is all I can tell you at this time." Bester left C&C and proceeded to the quarters of Lyta Blaine. A young man caught up with him and volunteered to show him the way. He agreed. More to come. From: "Aubrey W. Adkins" Subject: Redheaded Telepath ch. 32-34 Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 23:24:07 -0700 Redheaded Telepath Chapters 31-34 of 35 (so far) . This little tale sees our favorite redheaded telepath in a slightly warped light. Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@norfolk.infi.net] All characters/places/persons not belonging to the writer are the sole properties of their owners, PTEN, WB, JMS, and will be turned over to the owners at the request of their agents. All other characters/places/persons are public domain. CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION This story contains spoiler information from season four. It contains quotes from "Falling Toward Apotheosis", "Into the Fire", and references to material in "Epiphanies". s p o i l e r s s p o i l e r s ============================================== Chapter XXXII Arriving in front of Lyta's quarters, Bester pushed the doorbell. The door opened and Bester heard a female say, "come on in." It was Lyta. "Mr. Bester, I do believe you are out of uniform. But I won't hold that against you," said Lyta with a smile. "Captain Sheridan said you wanted to see me. I am not used to coming running when a blip summons me," he said with some snideness. "I see. We can change that if it will make you more sociable. Would you prefer that?" "You know how I feel about blips," Miss Alexander. "The name is Blaine and you know it. I think you need a lesson in humility." "And I suppose you........" He never finished the sentence. He was on fire all of his nerves were sending messages unbelievable burning pain from every part of his body. He screamed for his life. It ended as abruptly as it had started. With tears streaming down his face Bester pulled himself up from the floor into the nearest chair. All he could manage was to look at Lyta with unbridled fear. "Do you want to start over and show some manners or maybe you didn't get my point," she said in a voice that was without any emotion. He nodded, "I will start over." "You were telling me about blips," maybe you will continue and enlighten me. "Feel free to say anything you want. Be prepared to pay the price for snide remarks. "You wanted to see me. Why?" he asked. "Some time ago you made a deal with Johnny. Do you still consider it valid?" "My cooperation for his efforts to free Carolyn from the Shadow devices, yes, I still consider it valid. You know how badly I want her back." "When is the attack supposed to start?" "Straight to the point, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.00," he thought to himself. He answered without hesitation, "if they stick to the schedule, three days from now. Give or take a few hours." He had been as accurate as her data was. Well, it's about time to see what he is really made of. "You told Johnny once that the telepath is the human of the future. Would you explain what exactly what you meant? If you wish, send it telepathically." He did. "Would you be interested in something more challenging?" she asked. "Such as?" he replied. She sent it to him. His jaw dropped. "Can you handle that type of challenge?" He knew she could scan him. He replied, "just do a deep scan and see for yourself." Five minutes later she sat back and regarded him. "Bester, I hate to admit it, but you surprise me, and that is not easy." He looked at her. "There is more isn't there?' "Yes. Carolyn, please come in here?" she said. Bester looked over at the door to the adjoining room and his eyes misted up. "You got her back?" "Hello Alfred. Say hello to your daughter. Her name is Lyta Alfreda Blakstin. She even looks like you," said Carolyn in a quiet controlled voice. She walked over to him and handed him the baby. "I can read you Alfred. You don't have to try to hide your feelings from me." "I will be in C&C if you need me. Can you handle the boys, too?" "Yes, Linda is on her way over," replied Carolyn. After Lyta left, Bester just sat holding the baby. He appeared to be in shock. He didn't know what to think or ask first. "Alfred, without Lyta all of us would have died. As you saw in her mind, she doesn't hate anymore, but this attack must be allowed to happen to ensure that President Clark becomes history by his own hand. She abhors the loss of life, but it can't be helped. She will stop it before all of the ships are destroyed." "She can really do that?" he asked. "That and much more." Chapter XXXIII Sheridan was having a meeting in his office with Lyta and Ivonava. The discussion centered on the upcoming attack. "Lyta I would like to have you and your people evacuated to Epsilon III before the firefight begins. They are to valuable to risk. I would appreciate it if you went with them," said Captain Sheridan. "As you wish. We will start tonight," replied Lyta. "Bester seems to think that this whole mess was orchestrated by us. I didn't have anything to do with it. Did you?" he asked. "Yes and no. I only used an opportunity that became available," she replied. "Why?" "The only way to get rid of President Clark is to let him put himself into a position which leaves him no choice but to quit. The losses that earthforce is going to sustain in the impending fight will do just that. This fight was coming. It will just come at the time and place of our choosing," she answered. "Why didn't you tell me?" "Would it have changed anything? Do you think I would have started the wheels in motion if I felt we weren't ready? Could you have hidden the knowledge without someone noticing something was amiss? I will tell you. You couldn't have. The knowledge would have influenced your decisions." "You created a crucible to deal with the Shadows and Vorlons. You weren't sure that it would work, but you did it anyway when the opportunity arose. I have done the same. The difference is that I am rather sure of the outcome. There will be casualties. It can't be helped. I am sorry for that." He wanted to get angry with her. She had nerve doing this without consulting with him. Come to think of it, Lorien had been the same way. "I am sorry Johnny, this is the only way. You will understand in time." He hoped so. It was too late to stop now. "I am going to take Bester with me. He is important for my future plans." Sheridan and Ivonava came to see Lyta off. They said goodbyes. Lyta wished them the best of luck. She didn't like leaving, but for things to play out, she must not be here. "Captain Sheridan, take care and good luck," this from Bester. Realizing that Bester meant every word, "Mr. Bester I promise to be here to welcome you back." The hatch of the shuttle closed and Ivonava and the captain exited the docking bay and headed toward C&C. The party would be starting sometime day after tomorrow. Neither of them wanted this fight, but there was no way to avoid it. Lyta reminded Sheridan of his younger sister starting things and leaving him to finish them. Damn. In the war room the representatives of his alliance were awaiting Sheridan's arrival. They were anxious about this situation and they were getting very vocal about it. Sheridan arrived and started to address them. "Gentle beings, I know you have misgivings about what is coming. Since we had you move your ships away from the station you have had nothing but questions and our answers were not very comforting," said Sheridan with confidence. "We have been aware for some time that President Clark has been looking for any excuse to attack Babylon 5 again. The incident that was shown on INS is precisely what he was looking for. We are prepared for the attack as much as we can be. We have decided to evacuate you to your respective ships or to Epsilon III if you wish. It isn't possible to evacuate everyone on the station. We will evacuate as many beings as possible before the earthforce ships arrive. We will have about four hours notice before they arrive. We will continue the evacuation until one hour before earthforce arrives. If you have questions, ask them. Those who wish may leave now to facilitate evacuation." Chapter XXXIV It was the morning the assult on Babylon 5 was to kick off. The attacking force would arrive at Epsilon III about 1300 Babylon 5 time. President Clark was pleased. His advisors had shown him and his staff how the data crystal showing the Narn cruiser's destruction had been faked. There was no advanced technology. The station was a sitting duck'. President Clark had called this meeting which included all his top military leaders except those who were on their flagships. They had wanted to personnaly lead the attack. He thought that was a bit melodramatic, but there shouldn't be any harm in it. They were getting a tri-video feed from four monitor bouys that been surreputitiously inserted into space around Babylon 5. The scene showed a continous stream of shuttles coming and going between the orbiting ships and the station. A smaller stream of small ships was shuttling to the planet the station was orbiting. The large ships had moved closer to the station to facilitate the passenger transfers. As quickly as they were loaded the ships departed through the local jumpgate. It was 1100 hours. Two hours from now the station would be destroyed. "Captain Drake, are you ready for the fireworks this afternoon?" asked Admiral Groves. "Yes sir. Ever since the Minbari ambassador and her ships intervened in our assault on Babylon 5, I have been praying for a chance to finish the job," replied Captain Blake. "Well son, we aren't here for an assault this time. No talking, just blow her to hell and be done with it. Sheridan has been one pain in the ass." "Yes sir, but he won't be after today. I understand there will be some aid from other races. Is that true?" asked Drake. "That is what we were briefed. They didn't say who they were; just gave us descriptions of the ship types, so there wouldn't be any friendly fire incidents," replied the admiral. It was the morning after they had arrived on Epsilon III that Lyta took Alfred and Paul into what she referred to as the planetarium. After taking seats in what appeared to be the center of a large round domed room, Alfred and Paul noted that there was enough spacing between the adjacent chairs to rotate each chair through 360+ degrees. You could spin around like sitting on a bar stool. The lights lowered until it was pitch black inside the room. Alfred found himself sitting in what appeared to be outer space somewhere above the planet and about 10 kilometers from Babylon 5. "Lyta just what is this?" asked Paul. "It is a three dimensional tactical display. It is superior to anything available anywhere else," answered Lyta. "Lyta, I have seen the tri-vee displays in Earthdome. This makes them look like childrens drawings," replied Bester. "Alfred, this display is what earth may develope in several thousand years, but I doubt they will. You are seeing this in your head. If you think about it you can move the point of view you are experiencing. Try it," said Lyta. Sure enough as Bester thought of Babylon 5 from the viewpoint of the local jumpgate his perspective changed to that view. He experimented for a few minutes and was amazed at the results. "You built this didn't you Lyta?" "No. I did the basic design and some of the more difficult detailed blueprints and reviewed the final design drafts, but the actual work and final design work were done by a team of earth and Minbari engineers and technicians," replied Lyta. As she spoke there appeared a myriad of red dots around Babylon 5. They were set at irregular intervals that extended away from the station to a distance of about 50,000 kilometers. She explained that they were a special type of mine. They don't register on sensors and they attach themselves to any ship not included in their database. The lights came up. The demonstration was over. "We can watch the coming fight from here?" asked Bester. "Better than that, we will participate. No one on the station will be aware of our efforts until it is all over," answered Lyta. More to come.