name = Justin Thomas email = kaythoma@shu.edu title = Through the Mirror Darkly warnings = Language and Violence; minor sexual content story = This story takes place contemporaneously with Third Season's "Voices of Authority"; it takes place in an Alternate Universe, where I've tried to make things 180 degrees from what they are. All the characters will be in it. Heroes are base villains. Villains are heroes (though I'm still trying to figure out how to use Morden). Hope you enjoy. Any comments appreciated (this is my first attempt). This is merely part one. I hope to complete this story soon. Captain John Sheridan strode, arrogantly through his station. It was his station. While he was supposedly a mere governor of the Earth Empire station Babylon 5 and a soldier in the Imperial Forces, he knew that he was a power in his own right. The sheer terror in how others drew back from his approach told him as much. Especially those low lifes who crowded among the Zocalo. It had been named by his predecessor, Jeffrey Sinclair, in a moment of irony. The "great market" provided little more than the bare essentials for the slave caste. And Jeffrey Sinclair had been removed by Sheridan, the "StarKiller". He had arranged it in a conspiracy to remove Emperor Luis Santiago, with General William Hague. Then Hague had come through and had Sinclair recalled and given some post as ambassador to Minbar. The terror of those around him brought him back to reality. They cowered from him and he enjoyed the spectical of absolute terror made him feel alive. It was good that he could relax and enjoy himself - after all he was wearing the black, armored uniform of the Imperial Forces, that made him virtually invulnerable. He approached the Stockade gate and recognized Zachary Allen, in his grey armor, indicating security, that contrasted with Sheridan's own black that connotated command. With contempt, he said to Allen, "Open the gate." As he passed, he noted that Allen was wearing the symbol of Right's Watch. The organization had initially seemed like another harmless policy coming out of the Imperial Dome. However, of late the organization had started reporting on abuses by service and station personnel. It was getting so you couldn't even get your kicks torturing someone. Sheridan thought, Damn Emperor Clark!!! Damn General Hague!!! And Damn me for ever putting that imbecile in a position to become Emperor. Allen responded, "Absolutely sir." And proceeded to open the gate. Sheridan walked around the "free area" of his personal empire enjoying the luxury that power gave him. Babylon 5 was an armored fortress. A self-contained battle station containing 250,000 officer, soldiers, diplomats and slaves. It was so strong, with so many heavy weapons that it was thought to be the equivalent of the firepower of more than 50% of the Empire's space fleet. Sheridan then began walking to his cabin, when he heard footsteps behind him. Quickly turning, Sheridan took out his PPG and pointed it at the head of the man following him. At a second's glance, Sheridan realized that it was Michael Garibaldi, the head of security for B5. "Why were you following me, Michael?" "Listen, John…" started Garibadi. "It's either Captain, sir or Starkiller." "Captain, listen I'm sorry, but I needed to speak with you off of the link." "About?" "Well I just got a message from a pal of mine at the Ministry of Justice. Apparently, they are going to be sending over a Civil Rights coordinator for the station. I thought that you should know." "And this means?" Garibaldi responded, "No more sexual liasons with slaves, no more test subjects for those medical experiments done by Doctor Franklin, no more nightly torture games for me and my men, and no more slaves that satisfy Commander Ivanova in her role in that Queen of Death cult that she started when she got here. "Not good." "No sir. Oh I got a name too." "Really?" "Yes. A Julia Musante." "Thank you Mr. Garibaldi." "Any time, Captain, sir." Sheridan then walked down to his office and opened the door. He stepped in and saw Commander Susan Ivanova sitting on his desk. Actually sitting was probably not the right word. Laying totally naked was probably a better word. "What are you doing here Susan?" She smiled, the smile of a black widow out to get her prey, "I thought that we might spend some more time getting to know each other better Captain." "I thought we did that when I get here, last year. We stopped after you tried to kill me, when I was in a Star Fury." "Well, why don't we put the past behind us." She said seductively. "Why not?" he kissed her hard, unbuttoning his uniform. At the docking ring, Sergeant Zachary Allen had changed assignment to inspecting passports of visitors. A beautiful woman came up to him. The woman was conservatively dress. She didn't look cheap as most government women did these days, but rather had a look in her eye which radiated virtue and suggested that she knew her own inner value. She said, "Mr. Allen?" "Yes? And you are?" "Julia Musante. Ministry of Justice." "Pleased to meet you Ms. Musante." He took a look at her travel papers and found nothing wrong and handed them back. "Is there anything that I can help you with?" "Yes, please tell Captain Sheridan that I wish to speak to him in twenty minutes." "Pardon, ma'am, but the Captain doesn't like to be told what to do and when to do it." "I'm sure." The tone in her voice indicated serious disapproval. ******************************************************************* In Sheridan's office both Sheridan and Ivanova had finished their frantic fucking and now Ivanova was attempting to strangle him. John punched her and threw her across the room. She leapt up and was about to strike again when John pulled his PPG up. "Susan, don't move or I'll shoot. I mean it!!!" She growled from across the room, but seemed to have calmed down. "You knew?!!!" "I know you too well." He grinned "Then why did you agree, I mean," she stammerred "Because it was enjoyable, you are a beautiful woman and a great lay. And I knew. So there was no danger. After all, remember that I killed my wife Anna. If I could kill her, I can kill anybody." "Now get dressed and get out." Ivanova groaned, but did as he said to. A couple of minutes later, Sheridan heard his door chime. He said "Enter." In walked Julia Musante. She presented her credentials as being from the Ministry of Justice. "So what can I do for you Ms. Musante." "I'm here as an advisor. Some of your recent decisions have been looked on with revulsion back home." "Revulsion.?" "Your recent decision to summarily execute 60 of your lurker population was a tad extreme, don't you think." "They'd stolen from the executive food supplies." "And your decision to crucify that political bomber on the station last month?" "He'd gotten into the fusion reactor and was threatening to blow up Babylon 5, if we didn't release everyone in custody." "And how about your well-publicized attempt to kill a one Mr. Alfred Bester of the Telepathic Guild." "He's a Psi-Cop." "And that's a reason?" "Isn't it enough." "The Psi-Cops are mandated to deal with telepaths who endanger the government or scan normals without permission." "Telepaths are dangerous. They needed to be hunted down like the animals that they are." "Isn't it the place for the government to make policy." "Well yes." "As the saying goes, the government imposes and the military disposes." "Well, let me tell you something: I run my station how I run my station and I don't tolerate any blond-haired bitch coming into MY station to tell me how to run it." "Captain, I am not here to tell you how to run Babylon 5. The emperor appointed you military governor as a favor. I don't know the details. I honestly don't care about the details. But his programs must be carried out. And his programs involve the newly recreated Ministry of Justice. And the Rights Watch Program.. Just as Sheridan was beginning to respond to this, she continued. "Besides, I have my orders, just as you do." She hand him a slip of paper. "Well, I don't like it. But everything seems to be in order." "That's right Captain, follow orders." "Well, since I seem to have no choice, I go along with it. Besides, living here isn't so bad. You might even come to like it here and realize that I'm not as bad a man as you think. Why don't we meet for dinner so that we have a better chance to get to know one another." "Dinner and nothing else Captain." "What, why?" "Let's just say that I would sooner trust that fascist Garibaldi than you. You see, I know that you killed your wife; despite anything that that Court that you bribed back on Earth says, I know that it was your ship that opened fire on your wife's science vessel, the Prometheus." "Well, you can believe what you want Ms. Musante; I'll see you at 6 PM in the Pleasure Lounge." As she walked out, Sheridan's link chimed. "Yes." He recognized the dark, seductive voice of Ambassador Delenn. "Captain. I have been just now contacted by Draal." Draal, a former teacher to Delenn, had been on the run from Minbar. Apparently he had attempted to assassinate one of the Great Council because he felt that Minbar was becoming "a shadow of what it was." He had escaped to Babylon 5 a year and a half ago, when it was run by Sinclair. He had gone down to Epsilon 3 and then taken over the running of the Great Machine despite the protest of the Machine previous keeper. Draal had contacted Sheridan approximately six months ago and offered his support in the coming Galactic War. Sheridan had been amazed by the resources that this put under his control. He realized that with the resources of Epsilon 3 he could conquer the entire Earth Alliance. But with ships like the HellStar Warship that he had been given joint command of, he could conquer the Galaxy. "Well, what can I do for our distinguished ally." He said "distinguished" with a high degree of sarcasm. "He would like you to go down to the planet to visit." "What so he can shoot me down?" "You have a suspicious, twisted mind, John; I like that. But remember that for now, we are his allies and he needs us more than we need him, for now." "Point two, Ambassador, I just had the entire Earth Force Bureaucracy come tumbling into my lap." He explained about Ms. Musante. She said, "If it would help, I could have Lennier or one of the other Minbari eliminate her." "I don't think that would help; they'd just send a replacement and it might alert them to our plans." "That must not happen." "I agree." "Well, what about Susan." "Susan?" He said, stunned. "She is as power hungry as you are; but she can be trusted to do this because while she'll kill you at the first convenience, she knows that our attempt to undermine both our governments and the Alliance of Worlds are at a critical stage. And despite her … passions and desires, she is not stupid." "I'd agree with you about that. OK, I'll tell Susan." -----------------------------------------------