Babylon 5: Between Two Worlds (Restructured)
A Fan-Fiction Story based upon the "Babylon 5" Universe created by J. Michael Straczynski
Part One: Between Two Worlds
Chapter One: Arrival at Babylon 5
"Earth Cruise-liner "Joshua 500" is preparing to dock at Earth's famous space station and most ambitious interstellar diplomacy and business network ever achieved by man. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Babylon 5."
Even through the blasting sound of his high-volume headphones, KyTeth, the Narn teenager who had lived his life on Earth since the age of five, could hear the triumphant ring in the human female's voice.
"Humans take all the credit for everything," KyTeth thought as the big spaceship lumbered into the docking bay. The impressive space station had not been achieved through human effort alone; Humans hated to admit it, but the Pak'ma'ra, the Vree, the Centauris, Minbaris and others had helped with the cost of the construction, in addition to supplying various technologies, equipment, building supplies, and labour as well. The Minbaris had co-sponsored the project in an attempt to bridge cultural misunderstandings which ten years ago had resulted in the Earth-Minbari war. KyTeth had read about it in his interplanetary politics class at school. Even at school, however, the teacher slanted the information he presented in such a biased manner that it always portrayed humans as the big heroes. It was tiresome, but KyTeth was willing to put up with it if it meant staying on Earth.
KyTeth, the only fifteen-year-old Narnish boy to live on Earth as a resident of that planet, had come to the Human world as a refugee ten years ago with his father, Tan Kari. KyTeth had been terrified of the strange, hair-headed Humans, who looked so much like the horrible Centauri enemies who had invaded Narn over a century ago.
The Humans, for their part, were not altogether ecstatic about having Narns living on their world, even if they were only a grief-stricken father-and-son duo, running from the tyranny of their own Narn government and the pain of loss over their most intimate family member.
Nonetheless, Earth had been the only world willing to accept the refugees and allow them to live in their midst. Tan Kari had taken a teaching job at a local University, and KyTeth had adjusted (albeit painfully) to the life of an Earther. Then, at fifteen, just when he was beginning to feel happy, secure, and comfortable on the alien world, the Earth government, in conjunction with a statement of amnesty and pardon from the Narn Regime towards Tan Kari and his family, ordered the pair to leave Earth. Tan Kari had received a letter from the Narn Ambassador, resident on Babylon 5, that the amnesty had been granted to the two refugees after a ten-year period of exile from the Narn home-world.
EarthDome, it seemed, had also received a copy of the letter and was only too happy to co-operate with the Narn government, since xenophobic groups were on the rise and pressuring the government to "keep Earth Human". Tan Kari and his son were assured by the Narn Ambassador that, if they returned at least as far as Babylon 5, which was in neutral territory, they would be allowed to work with the Narn delegation posted there and would eventually earn the right to return to the Narn home-world as redeemed citizens.
As he thought about it now, KyTeth growled aloud his rage, causing an elderly lady to the left of him to look at him in alarm.
"The irony of it," he thought. "They talk about giving us a pardon when it was them who had committed the atrocity against my pouch-mother, LaTeth."
KyTeth's mother, LaTeth, had possessed the audacity to march in a peaceful demonstration for the rights of the mother-class females on Narn. She had been shot down in the street for it, in front of five-year-old KyTeth's eyes.
KyTeth would never forget the sight of his pouch-mother's agonized expression, knowing she was going to die and leave her pouchling and first-mate alone and ostracized by the rest of their clan. KyTeth did not permit himself to feel the pain for long. As he had done for many years, he closed his mind to it. He wanted to forget the blood, the bullets, the vengeance and anger that were a part of his home society. The war-torn planet was dark, crowded and stripped of most of its vegetation; it was in far worse shape than Earth ever was, even after its most horrendous wars.
KyTeth wanted to forget the whole stinking place. Maybe if he turned his raucous, Earth-style music up loud enough, he could drown out the memories altogether.
He was interrupted by a steward, who leaned over and said, "Sir. Excuse me. All headphones are to be returned before departure. I can take these now, if you like."
KyTeth leaned back in his chair lazily and eyed the fair-headed human, whispering to him in a conspiratorial manner, "Hey. With any luck, I may not be departing off this crate. Any chance you can stow me away in the luggage compartment?"
The steward widened his eyes slightly in surprise. KyTeth's manner and dress were all-Earth, in spite of his huge, bald, and spotted head. Taken aback, the man did not respond, but looked at KyTeth's robed father.
"KyTeth," Tan Kari said to him in his gentle yet authoritative voice, "give back the headphones, please. We must prepare ourselves to disembark."
KyTeth obeyed grudgingly, giving his father a pained look.
"Dad," KyTeth told him, "this is nuts. Let's go back and fight for our right to stay. Let's get those fraggin' Earthers to reconsider."
"We have no right to stay," Tan Kari told him firmly. "We were only ever guests on the Human world. They have been most kind to us, but now the time has come for us to return to our people. Have I not always told you, my son, that some day our exile would end?" Tan Kari underlined his last sentence by speaking in the Narn language. KyTeth, ever rebellious, continued to use English.
"Exile? Dad, if we get sent back to Narn, our exile is just beginning. We belong on Earth! You have your Narn culture classes to teach, and I have my basketball team, rock band, horseback riding, parties, school...aaak, Tal Quith! Just about ruddy everything. What will I have on Narn? A hole in the ground to live in? Rock pabulum for food? A career in the Narn military, if I'm lucky?"
KyTeth," Tan Kari sighed wearily, "we must end this conversation for now. It is time to disembark and meet the Narn delegate sent to receive us."
"Receive us into the cold, dark ground," KyTeth muttered as he slung his bag over his shoulder and followed his father down the corridor leading to the busy world of downtown upper-level Babylon 5.