CHAPTER ONE
March 25, 2262, Earth.
The bullet train sped east from Paris, entering the mountainous landscape of what had once been eastern France. Once, long ago, the trains travelling this route might have been slowed considerably by the steep hills and mountains, but this modern, twenty-third century train didn't ease off its speed at all, not even as it swept through a series of tunnels and gentle rises. Cruising at nearly seven hundred kilometres an hour, the bullet train passed the first mountain range in less than fifteen minutes and was soon snaking its way downwards again, towards the city of Lyons.
The city, built around the confluence of the Rhône and Saône Rivers, was a major light industrial centre, with a population of just over three million. Normally that would be enough to warrant a stopover on the train's route, but not this time. This early morning bullet train was an express, London to Rome, and then back again, stopping at only two other cities along its long route. So, instead of slowing as it approached the city, it sped up, hovering just beneath the sound barrier as it crossed the Saône River before slowing again as it began the short, winding journey up towards the Earth Alliance capital, Geneva.
Birds dunking for fish along the Rhône didn't even look up as the train sped past. Magnetically levitated above the rails, it was almost silent, the only noise the sound of wind rushing along its sleek aerodynamic form. As it travelled along the river bank, its white shape glistened in the early dawn light. Over the mountains to the east, the sun was just beginning its climb across the sky, heralding the coming of the new day. The train didn't have time to enjoy the warmth of its light though, only a few brief seconds before plunging into the darkness of the long tunnel leading up toward Geneva.
The tunnel was pitch black, with only the occasional glowing distance marker and the lights of the train itself to provide any illumination. Despite the tunnel's length, the darkness did not last long, and seven minutes later the train exited into the now bright sunlight. Almost immediately it began to slow, its track joining several others leading into the largest transport hub on the entire planet. The few tourists on board had a brief glimpse of the towering structure of Earthdome before another tunnel beckoned, this one leading to the lowest level of Earthdome's transit centre, where hundreds of trains and shuttles would carry passengers from across the planet into the capital every day.
Gliding gently to a stop at the main platform, the doors of the train opened and disgorged its cargo of officials, businessmen, workers, and visitors. On the next platform, the transcontinental from Beijing had also just recently arrived, both trains combining to fill the transit centre with over a thousand new arrivals. The platforms on the opposite side of each train were already crowded with those waiting to board, workers returning home from the previous night's shift. Despite the rush, barely ten minutes later, both trains would be off again, one heading west towards Paris and London, the other south towards Rome.
Right now though, the current passengers were busy trying to find their way along the platform and up the stairs into the transit centre. Geneva might be the capital of the Earth Alliance, but its permanent population numbered just over a hundred thousand, meaning that many times every day this scene was repeated, as the office workers and officials that made the Earth Alliance run smoothly arrived for work. Later, in the afternoon and early evening similar scenes would occur as those who had arrived this morning took the late train back to their homes in the larger cities.
Right in the centre of this crush, two women were trying to find their way down the platform without loosing track of each other. One was an attractive woman of medium-height, clad in Earthforce blue, the insignia on her shoulders indicating her rank of Captain. By her side was a slightly shorter, but no less attractive, blonde woman, dressed in a smart grey business suit, the symbol of Psi-Corps prominent on her collar.
The taller of the two women, Earth Alliance Captain Susan Ivanova, was beginning to wonder if taking the express train from Paris had been such a good idea after all. Her hand tightly clutching her companion's, she was struggling to make headway through the busy crowd of passengers, all whom seemed have a much better knowledge of where they were going than she did. Eventually she gave up, standing rock-still in the centre of the concourse, waiting until everyone else had passed by.
"I told you we should have taken the later train," Talia Winters murmured as she allowed herself to be dragged aside by Susan. Around the two women, the other passengers looked at them in annoyance as they were forced to sidestep the pair to continue their journey. Beside them the doors of their train slid shut again and with barely a whisper of noise it hurtled off down the track, toward the end of its journey in the crowded city of Rome.
"It's been a while since I've taken a civilian train into Geneva," Susan admitted as the crowd of passengers slowly moved on up the platform. "Usually I just take a shuttle to Earthforce Headquarters."
"Typical soldier," Talia said with a loving smile, slipping her hand through the crook of Susan's arm. "You never know how bad us civilians have things."
"If I don't get to Earthdome soon I might be finding out a lot more about civilian life," Susan said, frowning as she checked the time displayed on the board above the platform.
"We have plenty of time, Susan," Talia told her, glancing at the watch she wore around her wrist. "We could stop for breakfast and still be in Earthdome with plenty of time to spare before for your meeting. Of course, if you had wanted to get here earlier you shouldn't have stayed up so late last night."
Susan blushed, remembering exactly why she had been up so late. "Looks like it's a little quieter now," she said, changing the subject. "We might as well get moving. If we remain around here for too much longer another train is sure to arrive."
Talia took Susan's hand in her own. Even through the soft Minbari fabric her glove was made of, she still felt a connection with the other woman, something neither could explain or ignore. "Come on," she said. "I will show you the way." Susan nodded and allowed Talia to lead her along the platform, and up the wide marble steps that led into the main transit area. As they walked, both thought back on the events that had led them here.
It had been nearly a month since Susan had freed Talia from the manipulative Psi-Corp implanted personality that had been controlling her. That event had happened shortly after what was now being called the Battle for Proxima. That battle had been the climatic ending to a conspiracy that stretched back to the days of the Clark administration, one that was rumoured to have had powerful commercial backers.
A collection of Earth's powerful mega-corporations, upset with the loss of business to companies based on other worlds, had financed the construction of a new, incredibly powerful warship, capable of destroying entire colonies with its oversized mass driver. Unfortunately for the companies, the man they chose to command their warship, the former Psi-Cop Harvey Kiel, had plans of his own with very different objectives. After killing off the businessmen who had financed the ship, he had set off on a voyage of death and destruction. Thousands had died, both when he attacked the poorly defended Flinn's Colony and later during the battle in near the colony world of Proxima III.
Susan had commanded the fleet opposing him, after the fleet's original commander, Vice-Admiral Emmerton, had her flagship destroyed at the start of the battle. Joined by several older destroyers, Susan's vessel, the EAS Rasputin, first production model of the new Warlock class destroyers, soon disabled the enemy vessel's main weapon. Then, along with a crack team of EAS Marines, Susan and Talia had boarded the huge warship. There though, they had both been wounded, Talia by a PPG shot to her shoulder, and Susan by a brutal assault on her mind by the enemy commander. However, they had survived, and with her newly discovered telepathic powers, Susan had been able to free Talia from the artificial personality that had taken over her mind.
After the victory both women had deep wounds to recover from. Susan had to learn to deal with her awakened telepathic abilities, and Talia had memories of things she had never done, horrible, evil things. Together they had journeyed to the Minbari colony world of Shiraka, and the unnamed island haven that housed a small colony of Minbari telepaths. There they had explored the depth of their feelings for each other, and Susan had finally gained enough control of her abilities to survive without going insane or alerting Psi-Corps of her existence.
That brief oasis of peace in their troubled lives hadn't lasted as long as either had wanted, or needed. During the trip back, they had enjoyed an overnight visit to Babylon 5, before catching the next liner back to Earth. Susan had been most surprised to find that instead of being ordered to Io, where the Rasputin was undergoing repairs and adjustments, she had been recalled to Earth. After a brief stop over at a hotel in Paris the previous night, they were on the way to Earthdome to meet with Susan's superior, Admiral Mellor.
Consequently, this beautiful, early spring morning, the two women found themselves walking up the stairs that led to the Geneva transit centre. For Talia it was the first time in the city in close to five years, having spent nearly two years on Babylon 5, followed by another two on Mars, attached to a Psi-Corps research centre. They were not pleasant memories for her though, and on such a beautiful morning she preferred to dwell on more pleasant things, such as the woman who walked beside her, and the happiness they had found together. She looked forward to walking the streets of Earth's capital, with Susan on her arm, showing all the world how lucky she was. But first, there was the busy transit centre to navigate.
Upstairs, the transit centre was nearly as crowded as the platform below had been. Although only official Earthforce shuttles were ever permitted within the airspace over Earthdome, it was still a busy centre of transport for other civilian traffic. Unlike the domes on Proxima III, Earth did not have, or rather could not afford, the expensive roads designed solely for magnetically levitated vehicles. Instead the planet had very large numbers of electrically powered vehicles, which travelled old road networks that had existed for centuries.
This meant that the trains that arrived every few minutes were not the only form of transport available. They were the cheapest and fastest, but by no means the only one. Outside the transit centre electric buses, and even the occasional private car, were common, most bringing commuters from the nearby towns and cities around of Lake Geneva. Even the lake itself was used as a form of transport. As Susan and Talia finally made their way out of the transit centre and onto the balcony that ringed the main level of Earthdome, they could see the tiny shapes of sailing boats in the distance, most likely city workers looking for a more pleasant journey to their workplaces.
Geneva itself was now little more than a city of monuments, any industry that had once existed moved away long ago when the price of land grew too expensive. Now government buildings, statues, museums, and restaurants seemed to be the only structures that occupied the capital. Largest of these monuments was the glittering shape of Earthdome itself, the home of the Earth Alliance government.
Completed in 2158, a few short years after first contact with the Centauri, the building was a massive structure that towered over the city like a giant spider, the buildings and park lands gathered around, as if stuck in its web. Unlike most of Earth cities, Geneva had few tall buildings, apart from Earthdome of course. Instead, time had been taken to improve the appearance of the city, making it a worthy capital of one of the major powers in the known universe. Of course, there were only three major powers left now, with the Vorlon's vanishing beyond the galactic rim, and the Narn still recovering from the Centauri invasion of their world.
The architects had done a beautiful job. Back in the mid twenty-first century, Geneva, like all the cities of its time, had been a completely different place, choked by pollution and over crowding. But now, a mere two hundred and ten years after the global renewal program had begun, the city sparkled, the white buildings and the great dome reflecting the light with all the glory a spring morning could muster. In the distance rose a tall range of snow-capped peaks, and below them, the picturesque scene of racing yachts on Lake Geneva, slowing making their way towards the old docks district.
Even Susan, used to sights of strange alien wonders on distant worlds, felt her breath taken away by the sight. Below them was the first tier of Earthdome, the ring of gardens and parks, while back behind them was the dome itself. Then beyond, stretching from the edge of Earthdome all the way off to the mountains in the east, was the city itself. Glancing over at her companion, she saw that Talia was even more amazed by what she saw, the beauty of the capital surpassing even the wonders of the Minbari colony they had recently visited. Certainly compared to the crowded city of Paris, where their shuttle had landed them last night, it was another world altogether.
"I had forgotten how beautiful it is, Susan," Talia said, almost breathless with delight. "Look, you can even see the snow on the mountains. I haven't seen snow in so many years."
"Well, if I get kicked out of Earthforce, we might just get a chance to go up to the mountains," Susan replied, her tenseness about the sudden summons to Earthdome snatching away the brief enjoyment she had found from the scenery. Still, despite her concerns, she agreed that there was something about the city, and even Earthdome itself, that made Geneva seem more impressive than any of the other places she had visited.
"Don't be such a pessimist," Talia replied, whacking Susan gently in the arm. "Come on, lets go for a walk. It's too nice a day to waste waiting in some stuffy office. And don't worry, there is still plenty of time for you to get to your meeting."
"How about a cup of coffee," Susan offered, eyeing the restaurants and cafes that were just opening along this level. The second tier of Earthdome was a popular dining place for those who worked inside the dome, or the many visitors who came to see the sights. It looked down on the gardens and park lands of the first tier, and beyond them, to the magnificent sight of the lake and the distant mountains.
Talia looked at her in exasperation. "You really are terrible, Susan. I was thinking of a peaceful walk through the park. It looks so beautiful down there this early in the morning."
"And cold," Susan complained, feeling the chill in the air coming down from the mountains. In fact, it was more than just a little cold. It might be early spring in the northern hemisphere, but the chill of winter still hung heavy in the air. The mountains and hills on both sides of the city were still white with snow, and although the sky was clear of clouds, the shade of blue was a lot paler than it would be during the heart of summer.
Talia frowned. Then she also felt the chilly wind flowing across lake from the snow-covered peaks off in the distance. "Yes, it is a little cold," she agreed, shivering slightly. "Maybe a warm drink wouldn't be a bad idea after all."
Susan smiled. "How about that place over there?" she asked, pointing out the only cafe that was open at the moment, probably to serve early arrivals like herself. When Talia agreed they made their way over to the cafe and went inside, out of the chilly morning and into the warm, heated interior.
Only two other customers were in the cafe, businessmen by the look of them. As they talking quietly in one corner over cups of coffee, Susan found herself running a standard threat assessment, before dismissing them as unimportant. The two women took a seat closer to the door and ordered their drinks. Susan picked up the copy of yesterdays Universe Today sitting on a nearby chair and began to leaf through it. "Anything interesting?" Talia asked.
Susan shook her head, before putting the paper back where she had found it. "Not really, just the usual."
"Nothing about you?" Talia asked, a teasing smile on her lips.
Before Susan could reply the waiter arrived with their drinks. After Susan had paid with her credit chit, she picked up the cup and breathed in the strong aroma of the hot coffee. "This is something I really miss in space," she told Talia, who was already sipping her own drink.
"I know what you mean," Talia replied. "The synthetic just doesn't taste the same. It's just as hot, but they can't seem to replicate the taste properly. Those Minbari drinks are even worse."
"You weren't the one you had to drink them though," Susan said, remembering the various substances the Minbari telepath Raekenn had insisted she had to drink or eat as part of her telepathic training. Eventually she had reminded the dour old monk that she only had three weeks and didn't have time to become ill due to food poisoning.
"I thought Raekenn was going to explode when you refused to drink that green stuff," Talia giggled. "He spent the rest the day walking around muttering about primitive humans."
"I still think it was seaweed," Susan said. "It certainly smelt like it."
"It was all worth it though," Talia said, reaching over and taking Susan's bare hand in her gloved one.
Susan nodded, lowering the blocks in her mind just a little to let Talia inside. Yes it was, she agreed, sending her thoughts into Talia's mind instead of speaking out loud. She thought back to the exercises the Minbari telepath had put her through, exercises that had taught her how to block out the thoughts of others. Less than a month ago she wouldn't have been able to walk through a crowded city like Geneva without a painful throbbing in her head, caused by the thoughts and emotions of all those around her. Now the voices in her head were just a distant mummer, almost undetectable most of the time.
She took another sip of her drink, while at the same time gently stroked the back of Talia's hand. "I would have like to have spent more time there," she told Talia, deciding to keep communicating telepathically. "I learned so much, but there is still a lot more I have to discover."
Talia nodded understandingly. "You can't expect to learn everything in just three weeks, Susan. It took me ten years of training at Psi-Corps before I understood even the basics of what I could do. You learned a lot more than I expected, and at least now you can hide yourself from Psi-Cops, if necessary."
"I just hope I don't run into any," Susan said, glancing nervously around the room. There were no black-uniformed figures lurking in the corners though, just the two customers still busy with their own conversation, and the staff.
"You will be fine," Talia assured her. "I can feel your presence, but I am a lot closer to you, closer than you would allow any Psi-Cop to get. As long as they don't scan you, then there is nothing to worry about."
A flicker of a smile crossed Susan's lips. "Then, basically, I am back were I was before all this happened."
"But with much better defences than before," Talia reminded her. "Even if a Psi-Cop did try to scan you now, you could probably keep him out, and with some more practice you will only get better. It is a pity that Raekenn couldn't teach you more."
"I don't think there was a lot more he could have taught me in the time I was there," Susan said.
"No, Minbari telepathic abilities aren't as powerful as Humans," Talia agreed. "But at least you learned the basics, enough to stop yourself from broadcasting your thoughts to everyone when you are trying to just send them to one person."
"Especially when there is only one person I want to share my thoughts with," Susan said softly, looking faintly embarrassed by her thoughts at the same time.
Talia squeezed Susan's hand to show she felt the same way, and went back to finishing off her drink. As they both sat there, looking lovingly at each other, the two men at the back of the cafe pushed their chairs aside and headed towards the exit. Susan glanced up as they passed, and was a little surprised to see a senator's pin stuck through the lapel of one of the men. She didn't know him, so assumed he was probably one of the new senators elected since the end of the Clark administration. The senator, however, obviously knew her, and gave her a brief nod of recognition as he passed. The second man, looking concerned and nervous about something, quickly followed the senator out the door.
"Do you have any idea who that was?" she asked Talia, as soon as the two men had left. There was something about the second man that made her suspicious. She dismissed those thoughts quickly though, realising that she would probably be off the planet again by the end of the day, and this wasn't the time to be looking everywhere for new conspiracies.
Talia shrugged. "I have never seen either of them before. But then, I don't really spent much time around the senate."
"That was Senator Harrison of the Pacific Alliance," their waiter informed them as he arrived at their table. "He often comes in here." Noticing that both had finished their drinks, he asked, "will there be anything else ladies?"
Susan checked the time on her link, and then over at Talia who shook her head. "No, that will be all," she told the waiter who quickly cleared away the two cups. "I think we should be going," she told Talia. "I am supposed to meet the Admiral in an hour."
"And it will take you about fifteen minutes to get to Earthforce HQ from here," Talia reminded her with a teasing smile.
"I like to be early," Susan said, with an answering smile. Talia nodded and the two women set off towards the closest entrance into the main dome. The cafe they had just left was on the balcony that stretched around the entire dome, the perfect place to just sit, eat, and look out over the beautiful scenery of Geneva and the surrounding countryside. Once through the entrance, they were inside Earthdome proper.
Below, into the underground levels, and inside the base of the dome itself stretched the labyrinthine network of the central archives. There, on a thousand shelves in nearly as many rooms, were millions of books, data crystals and other storage devices that maintained a record of everything that occurred inside the alliance and beyond. Above, inside the atmospheric dome, were the buildings that housed the offices of the bureaucracy responsible for the mass of information in the archives.
The interior of the dome was a little like a small city, except no-one lived here, not even the president, she had an official residence in the old city. Instead, there were buildings dedicated solely to the various departments of the government, including Psi-Corps, Earthforce, and a myriad of others. Alien governments with relations with Earth, currently nearly two dozen different races, were also given quarters within the ambassadorial building, a tall structure located near the senate building.
Despite its size, no vehicles were permitted beneath the dome, not even for the president, who used an official shuttle from the landing area at the top of Earthdome. This enclosed city was designed solely for pedestrian traffic and not powered vehicles. Of course, that didn't stop the designers from putting in elevators and mobile walkways from the transit centre to the various buildings inside Earthdome, all hidden away beneath the artificial ground of the main level. Even above ground, thousands of people moved around, following the stone paths and plazas from building to building.
Perhaps a little surprisingly, especially considering how many people worked inside, there appeared to be no large entrances into the dome. Instead, most were like the one Susan and Talia had just pass through, small passageways leading from the second level, or stairs leading down to the ring of parks around the dome. This was because most people arrived at the transit centre and simply took an elevator from there up to their destination.
"What are you going to do while I am meeting the Admiral?" Susan asked Talia as they made their way across Victory Square towards the Central Administration Building, which rose like some great monolith from the centre of the dome.
Talia looked across towards the Psi-Corps building, just visible behind several other central buildings. "I thought I might make a quick trip to Psi-Corps headquarters. There are some things I need to do before we leave Earth again."
"Do you have to go in there?" Susan asked, staring nervously at the towering structure of Psi-Corps headquarters. Despite the building outer splendour, Susan didn't consider it attractive. Instead it seemed a cheap facade, an attempt to cover the deep rooted evil that lurked within.
Talia smiled at her companion's concern. "I am just going to check up on what my status is," she replied. "I also want to know if they are sending anyone to replace Anderson. I might copy some of the teaching material for you. I thought it might be a good idea so you can practice your abilities."
"Can you do that?" Susan asked in a worried tone, still eyeing off the Psi-Corps building. "Won't they find out if you copy anything?"
"I will just copy some of the basic material," Talia replied. "It is done all the time, so we can practice our skills. I think Psi-Corps is hoping that somehow they can increase telepathic ability that way, so I shouldn't have any trouble copying what I need to teach you a little more about your powers. You go to your meeting with the Admiral and I will join you later. Perhaps we can meet for lunch at one of the restaurants down in the old city. I probably won't be long, and you could be some time."
"How about the Bluewater Cafe then?" Susan suggested, deciding that if Talia wasn't going to get nervous about Psi-Corps, then she shouldn't either, at least until the next time she came into contact with a Psi-Cop.
"I don't think I know that one," Talia said. "Of course it has been a long time since I was in Geneva. In fact I haven't spent much time here at all."
"It's down on the lakefront," Susan told her. "You will love it. It is nearly a hundred years old, and one of the best restaurants in the whole city. It is the only place I eat when I am here."
"The Bluewater Cafe it is," Talia agreed, before leaning forward and kissing Susan lightly on the cheek. "I will meet you there at midday."
"Assuming I am free by then," Susan said as Talia turned away and began walking towards the Psi-Corps building.
Talia paused for a second and looked back at Susan. "Then I will wait until you arrive, even if you take the rest of the day."
A flicker of smile broke across Susan face, watching until Talia had almost disappeared behind one of the buildings. A warm feeling washed through her as she realised that Talia would probably do just that if she was stuck in her meeting with Mellor. When they had first been reunited Susan had been unsure if it was going to be possible to get back anything like what they had enjoyed before Talia had been taken away from her.
But, after the vacation to the Minbari colony, both had realised that there was something between them, something so strong neither could deny it for long. Raekenn, the Minbari monk in charge of the colony, had said she had a destiny to fulfil, and that Talia was part of that destiny. Susan didn't know if she believed in destiny, but she certainly wasn't going to argue if it bought her closer to Talia. Not that either woman needed an excuse. Their long separation seemed to have only fuelled their passion for each other, growing to the point where they could barely bear to be apart.
She wasn't complaining. This was probably the first proper relationship she had ever had, the first time she had ever felt this strongly about anyone. Because of that fact, Susan felt even more concerned about everything Talia did, worried that Psi-Corps would try to take her away again. Even the thought of Talia going into the heart of Psi-Corps power on Earth was troubling, and although she knew Talia could take care of herself, Susan couldn't help but worry.
Right now though, she had her own concerns, specifically why Admiral Mellor would want to see her in his Earthdome office this early in the morning. Apart from one meeting shortly after the civil war, when she had returned from Babylon 5, all her discussions with the Admiral had taken place via the communications link, or on her ship. Why he would suddenly summon her directly to Earth was a nagging concern that had been worrying her ever since she had first received the message.
Susan knew she probably had nothing to worry about, and certainly that is what Talia had told her several times over the past day, but she couldn't help but feel concerned. She hoped that nothing was wrong, that she wasn't going to have her command stripped away or anything like that. If that was what happened then she would probably hold the new record for the shortest serving captain in Earthforce. As she walked towards the Central Administration building, she tried to dismiss all these recurring negative thoughts. It wouldn't do for an Earthforce captain to appear before her superior looking nervous and unsure of herself.
Leaving Victory Square behind her, Susan entered the massive glass and stone structure of the Central Administration Building, home to the bureaucracy of the Earth Alliance's civilian government. It rose from nearly twenty levels beneath the earth all the way up to the dome itself. There, it joined the huge structure of Earthforce Headquarters, which was located at the very top of the dome, along with the defence and communications systems.
After passing her identicard through the security scanner she entered the elevator up to the upper levels. The modern elevator was a lot quicker that others she had been in recently, and a few seconds later the door opened to the display the marble floors of Earthforce Headquarter. Remembering the location of the Admiral's office from her previous visit, Susan walked straight past the reception desk and down the corridor leading to her destination.
Walking into the waiting room outside the Admiral's office, she found it much the same as she remembered it. The floor was covered with a dark carpet, with the emblem of the Earth Alliance imprinted brightly in the centre. A row of chairs was down one side, while a reception desk and tired looking secretary were located opposite.
The lieutenant behind the desk looked up as she walked across the carpet towards him. "Captain Ivanova?" he asked. When she nodded he continued. "The Admiral is in an important meeting at the moment. If you will just take a seat." He indicated the row of comfortable seats along the opposite wall of the waiting room.
"Do you know why he wants to see me?" Susan asked the lieutenant, hoping to put her concerns to rest.
"I believe it is inform you of your next assignment," the lieutenant, who's badge gave his last name as Haines. "He hasn't told me what it is yet though, secrecy and all that. If you will just take a seat I am sure he will be free in a minute."
Susan nodded and sat down in one of the seats along the opposite wall, which were just as comfortable as she remembered. One of her concerns had been eased - the Admiral didn't want to sack her. Now she just had to wait and see exactly what her new assignment was to be. She hoped it was still going to involve the Rasputin, especially as Talia was still assigned to the warship as a Psi-Corp military liaison. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of being transferred right now.
She glanced up at the clock that was mounted on the wall above the desk. It gave the time as fifteen minutes to eight, which meant she still had at least half an hour before her meeting was even scheduled. With a sigh, Susan leaned back and scanned the room, looking for something interesting to keep her occupied. The paintings of several old sailing ships caught her attention, and she began to trace their outlines with her eyes as she settled back and prepared for a long wait.
It took exactly sixty seven minutes before the Admiral was ready to see her, giving Susan plenty of time to regret her need to be punctual. Every jerky movement of the hands on the old style clock hanging on the wall opposite her chair documented her rising frustration, and adding another minute to the anxiety she'd bought with her to the meeting. Finally, just when Susan thought she was going to have to wait forever, Lieutenant Haines informed her that Admiral Mellor was ready for her now. With a sigh of relief, she hauled herself out of the comfortable black chair and walked through the wooden doors into Mellor's office.
Admiral Mellor looked much as she had seen him last, a tall, broad-shouldered man of military bearing, with dark, grey-streaked hair that was testament to his age and experience. The desk he sat behind, much like the man himself, was kept orderly and neat, with only a few important items taking up any space. The only thing that looked out of place was a small black device that was lying close to Mellor's right hand.
"Please sit down, Captain," Mellor said, recognising Susan's entrance with a genuine smile. He pushed aside the single sheet of paper he'd been working on and waved her to one of the chairs in front of the desk. "I am sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, but I had to deal with a communique from one of the newly elected senators first."
Susan, relieved to see the smile, nodded understandingly and took her place in the seat he offered. "I was a little surprised that you asked me to come here," she said, bringing up the subject that had been worrying her ever since she had received the Admiral's message back on Babylon 5. "I hope nothing is wrong."
"Not at all, Captain," he replied. "As you are still officially on leave until tomorrow, I thought I would call you in here so that, together, me might discuss some critical changes to your assignment. Also, your ship is already in orbit around Earth, so you coming to Earthdome actually saves us time - and that's an essential part of this assignment."
Susan raised her eyebrows at that piece of news. "The Rasputin is already here?"
Mellor nodded. "Yes. The repairs and alterations that the tech boys wanted done were completed last week, so I ordered her ferried here. Your crew has already returned from leave and, as soon as we are finished here, you can join them and your ship. I want this mission under way as soon as possible, so I won't be keeping you long."
"And what mission is that, Sir?" Susan asked, feeling a lot more comfortable now that she knew nothing serious was wrong, and that she had been worrying unnecessarily. As she waited for Mellor's reply, she made a mental note not to waste so much of energy and time with unresolved anxieties in the future.
"We have an important rescue mission for you, Captain," Mellor replied, a serious look suddenly transforming his face. He pushed his chair back and stood up, at the same time picking up the small control device Susan had noticed earlier. "If you will just follow me over to the map table, I will explain what you must accomplish."
Mellor walked over to the large, rectangular black table and clicking the remote control towards it, he activated the display. The table glowed faintly for a second and then a large holographic representation appeared above it, displaying the entire know galaxy. Compared to the total size of the galaxy, consisting of an estimated four hundred billion star systems, the map showed up little more than a minuscule slice. In a hundred years of exploration the Earth Alliance had only fully explored around a thousand systems, although that number was growing rapidly. Give how long it took to build new jumpgates, Susan felt a quiet pride at the achievement. All of these worlds, as well as the unexplored star systems know to belong to other regional powers, were displayed on the holographic map.
The Admiral tapped another button on the remote control a couple times and the view zoomed in showing the closer star systems, their allegiances clearly marked on the map by means of a colour code. In the centre was a small patch of blue, representing the fourteen colonised systems of the Earth Alliance. Clustered around Earth's territory were the other empires, the Centauri, the Minbari, and finally the smaller powers like the Narn and the Drazi. Dominating much of the map though, was a broad swath of green, the unexplored dominion of the now abandoned Vorlon Empire. Perhaps as many as two hundred stars fell within the Empire's borders, although no-one knew for sure just how much territory the Vorlons had controlled.
Activating a thin beam of light that shot out from the remote control, Admiral Mellor highlighted a section of the Vorlon Empire closest to the Earth Alliance border, just barely over a week's jump away. He zoomed the map inwards again, this time showing only a few of the border worlds, including one that was flashing brightly. "This is the world we are interested in," he said to Susan, who had by now joined him at the map table.
"Is that system inside Vorlon space?" she asked cautiously.
"That is correct, Captain," Mellor replied, as he zoomed in the map further just to just display that system, then again until only a single world was shown. "The world of Arias. Actually it's full name is Arias Va, but the world we are interested in is the only habitable planet in the system, so therefore, the only one of concern to us at the moment."
"And you want me to lead a rescue mission... there?" Susan asked incredulously. "Go inside Vorlon Space? To that world?"
Mellor nodded. "Yes, to rescue an Interplanetary Expeditions survey ship which has gone missing on the planet."
Susan frowned. "Isn't that going to be very dangerous? No ship entering Vorlon space has ever returned, and if anything, this disappearance only reinforces the danger. The Vorlon's might be gone, but no-one knows what they left behind."
"I assure you, there is only minimal danger," Mellor promised her. "IPX sent out a probe eight months ago, and it did a full survey of the solar system. It reported no colony, active or abandoned, within the system, and located no planetary defensive systems of any kind. They would not have followed it up with a manned mission, unless they thought it was safe."
"With respect, Admiral, I would disagree. I have had some experience with IPX before. In my opinion, they never check anything thoroughly. That incident with the alien probe we found in hyperspace near Babylon 5 should be more than enough to convince everyone to stay well clear when IPX is around."
"I have been assured that was an isolated incident, Captain," Mellor said, a frown beginning to spread across his face in response to her arguments. "Anyway, we don't have much choice. Earthforce has been asked by the President to look into this matter personally, apparently there was a relative of hers on board the survey vessel. When it was mentioned that your ship was available, she asked for you personally."
"What is the exact mission then?" she asked with a sigh, realising that arguing wasn't going to get the mission cancelled. If she refused, she was likely to be relieved of her position, and someone else would just be sent in her place. Besides, she could hardly ignore a personal request from the President.
Mellor nodded, as if pleased with Susan's change of attitude. He turned off the image of the map and walked over to a wall mounted vid screen instead. Once there he said, "Computer, display file IPX 1a." The screen blinked into life, the Earthforce logo vanishing, replaced by the image of a small survey vessel. "This is the Sturt, a long range survey vessel commissioned by IPX three years ago. It has a crew of a hundred and seventy, mostly scientists, but also carrying three telepaths hired from Psi-Corps especially for this mission. It set out from Io just over five weeks ago, and to start with, all went well. Then, two weeks into the mission, IPX headquarters in New York received a message from the Sturt saying that they were going to make planetfall."
"I assume no-one has heard anything from them since," Susan cut in, already imagining where this story was going to end.
"Not exactly, Captain," Mellor said, not seeming at all troubled by her interruption. "For the next two weeks messages were received daily from the planet, but then, at the start of last week, a distress call was received by one of our listening posts along the border. Since then... nothing but static."
"How do you know anyone is still alive?" Susan asked. "If they sent a distress call, then they may already be dead."
"Well..." Mellor paused, as if he was considering her question. "Perhaps it would be easier to explain if I let you hear the distress call," he said finally, turning back to the screen. "Computer play file IPX 1b."
The screen changed to show the flickering image of a man, at least Susan thought it was a man, the image quality was so poor it could have been anything. "...elp us. The cre... Arias is..." the sender's voice said, the meaning of the words impossible to determine.
"This isn't much..." Susan began, before Mellor held up his hand to interrupt her.
On the screen the image had quality improved markedly, and it was now possible to see that it was indeed a man who was talking. The speaker was maybe forty years old, with reddish-blonde hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing a civilian flight suit, but the gold wings of his shoulder informed Susan that he was, at the very least, a pilot. "...energy drain to all systems. We request emergency assistance. Repeating, an unknown force has drained all reserves of energy from the ship's systems..." Another burst of static cut into the recording before it stabilised again. "...made a forced landing inside the cloud covered region. Power is low, and our solar recharging systems are now almost useless. We predict complete failure of all ship's..."
"Is that it?" Susan asked, as the screen changed to flickering static, the rest of the message lost.
Mellor nodded. "That all that was received. I have had some of the tech boys go over it, and IPX has investigated it as well. Both think that what happened is that the planet somehow caused a slow energy drain on the Sturt's systems, gradually cutting into their energy reserves. Then by the time the crew noticed it, too much had already been drained. They probably tried to take off, but were unable to get out of the gravity well and were forced down again."
Susan nodded slowly, although she still wasn't sure the explanation that IPX had come up with was the correct one. Arias was, after all, a Vorlon world, which meant that anything could have been housed, stored, or hidden on it. The Vorlon's were still the most mysterious known race, even if they had left the galaxy. "What about this energy drain," she asked. "Do you have any information about it? I wouldn't want a rescue shuttle to get trapped as well."
"IPX doesn't have any exact information about it, but they believe it may be only slow acting."
"What do they base that assumption on?" Susan queried suspiciously.
"The fact that the Sturt was on the planet for two weeks without any problems," Mellor said. Then he frowned, "I thought that you would have worked that out yourself, Captain."
"With the Vorlons, nothing is ever that straightforward or simple," Susan told him.
"Which is why we are sending you, Captain." Mellor said. "You have the most experienced of any Earthforce officer in relation to the Vorlons. That, and the fact that your ship is available at the moment. We want this rescue carried out as soon as possible."
Susan looked less than pleased by that fact. "What exactly do you want the Rasputin to do, Admiral?" she asked. "It is a warship, and is not really cut out for exploration and rescue missions. Perhaps another survey vessel would be better suited, or even and Explorer ship, if one is available."
Admiral Mellor nodded his agreement. "Perhaps, but your ship is the fastest, and most heavily armed Earthforce vessel within range at the moment. IPX is sending a team along as well, to assist you with the rescue."
"Are you sure that is wise, Admiral?" Susan queried, her frown growing deeper by the minute. "IPX has a tendency to try and take over everything it is involved in, and they rarely follow orders. I have had some experience with the company before."
"I have been given assurances by the director of the company himself that they will obey any orders given to them by Earthforce personal," Mellor promised her. "I don't think this mission would be possible without the technical expertise they will bring, as well as the equipment they are supplying. The Rasputin is primarily a warship, so it doesn't have any of the larger atmospheric capable shuttles needed for this mission, or the rovers and specialists that IPX will be supplying."
Susan nodded, conceding that point. She had been wondering how the Rasputin was going to rescue a possible hundred and seventy survivors in its four, small atmospheric capable shuttles. "I assume all of these specialists and their equipment are already on board?" she asked.
Mellor nodded. "Almost all," he replied. "I believe there is just a couple more shuttle loads of equipment to bring on board, and then everything will be ready. In fact, as soon as you get back to your ship, you should be nearly ready to leave. I have a shuttle waiting for you at our base at Nyon." He paused, as if considering something, before adding. "That's just north of Geneva, along the northern shore of the lake."
Susan's frown returned. "Wouldn't it have been quicker just to say all this in the message you sent me, especially if time is so important."
"Not really, Captain," Mellor said. "Besides, we don't really want this getting out to the news networks just yet. I am not sure that you know this yet, but while you were away there was a big scandal after one of the networks hacked into the Earthforce secure channels and started downloading sensitive material. Those responsible have been apprehended, but until a complete security check can be done, we can't rely on the secure channels for important messages. Of course, this hardly qualifies as an important communication or briefing, but I thought you wouldn't mind the trip to Geneva."
"I see," Susan replied. "Is there anything else then, Sir? If not, I would like to return to my ship as soon as possible and begin this mission."
"Nothing else, Captain," Mellor said. "My adjutant, Lieutenant Haines, has a copy of all the important information relating to this mission, including a copy of the message we received, profiles of all the IPX crew and data on the Sturt herself. The only other thing I have to say, apart from good luck of course, is not to put your ship and crew into too much danger over this rescue. While I would prefer it if you returned with all one hundred and seventy of the Sturt's crew alive, I would be most upset if you don't return at all. I guess what I am trying to say is to try as hard as you can to succeed, but not at the risk of your ship."
"Understood, Sir," Susan said, with a smart salute.
Mellor returned her salute. "Good luck then, Captain."
Susan nodded and left the Admiral's office. As she went back into the waiting room, she felt more than a little annoyed at being summoned all the way to Earth just to receive a mission briefing. Then her thoughts drifted to Talia, and she remembered that they still had to meet for lunch. Somehow, that thought managed to dissolve her feelings of annoyance and by the time she left Earthforce Headquarters, her pockets weighed down with several new data crystals, Susan was even smiling, and really looking forward to lunch.
The Bluewater Cafe was one of a myriad of small restaurants and cafes along the shore of Lake Geneva. It was a small, but cosy structure built right on the edge of the lake. The side of the restaurant that faced the lake was made almost entirely of glass, allowing an unrestricted view across the lake, a view totally unspoiled by any other structure. Made of the same artificial, white stone as most of the other structures in the city, it was an attractive building. Its appearance was also improved by a large number of climbing vines, many just beginning to flower, that were encouraged to climb up the outside of the building.
The Restaurant was located some distance from Earthdome, in the eastern half of what is called the old city. This meant that it catered mainly to tourists and other visitors, and certainly not the crowds of office workers that were common in the restaurants closer to the dome. While this might normally be bad for business the Bluewater Cafe kept its customers returning through good service and even better food.
By the time Susan arrived from Earthdome, most of the tables were already filled. She quickly scanned around the dining room, and had no trouble spotting Talia. The blonde telepath was sitting alone at a table right at the far end of the room, overlooking the waters of the lake below. After making her way across the room, Susan sat down at the table, trying not to look as though she had been hurrying to get here before the midday crush, which of course she had been.
Talia looked up at Susan's arrival, thinking it was the waiter coming to take her order. Instead, when she saw Susan, her face broke out in a happy smile. "That didn't take you long," she said as Susan leaned down and kissed her. "I thought you said it was going to take all day."
"It didn't turn out like that," Susan replied, taking the seat opposite. "The Admiral only wanted to give my a briefing on the Rasputin's next mission."
"Isn't that what I said last night?" Talia said teasingly, reminding Susan of the conversation of the previous night.
Susan nodded. "I know, I was worrying about nothing. The Admiral said something about a breach in the gold channel security system as the reason he summoned me to Earthdome instead of sending a message direct."
Talia nodded, and her face grew serious. "I know. I read an article about that in the Psi-Corps journal," she said, before lowering her voice so that none of the other restaurant patrons could hear her. "It said that the breach was from inside Earthdome. The rumour is that one of the smaller Earth nations forced to join the Alliance during Clark's reign sold passwords to one of the news networks."
"I didn't hear that," Susan replied telepathically, not wanting anyone around them to catch even a portion of what they were discussing. "I heard that the news network hacked into the system. At least that was what Admiral Mellor told me. I didn't ask which network though."
"I think it was one of the South American ones, the article didn't say with one though. I think they are trying to keep everything hushed up." Talia paused and then continued aloud. "What do you want to order."
"The trout," Susan replied, pointing out the item on the menu. "You should to try it as well."
Talia nodded and, accepting Susan's recommendation, she signalled for the waiter to come over. Once he had taken their orders and left, she turned back to Susan and asked, "so, what did the Admiral want?"
Susan looked a little annoyed at the mention of Mellor. "A rescue mission," she replied. "We have to go and rescue an Interplanetary Expedition's ship that has gone missing just inside Vorlon space."
"It sounds like it could interesting," Talia commented.
"And dangerous," Susan added. "The Vorlon's aren't likely to leave one of their world's undefended, and the fact that a vessel has already been disabled, or perhaps even destroyed there, makes me even more concerned."
"I am sure we'll be fine," Talia said, with an almost hidden smile.
"We?" Susan asked. "Does that mean you are still assigned to the Rasputin?"
Talia nodded happily. "Yes, at least up until the end of the year anyway. Psi-Corps isn't going to send anyone else to replace Anderson either."
"That is a relief," Susan said. "I was worried they would reassign you or something." Before Talia could reply the waiter arrived with their meals. Susan made a move towards her credit chit, knowing Talia had very little money in her account, but to her surprise Talia already had hers in her hand. "I thought you didn't have any money," Susan said as soon as the waiter had left.
"I do now," Talia replied, slipping the credit chit back into a pocket. "I checked with Psi-Corp and it seems they owed me payment for the work I did on Mars. My memories from that time are still a little vague so I didn't know about it."
Susan nodded understandingly, realising that Talia was talking about a period when her mind had still been under the control of the Psi-Corps implanted personality. After her real personality had been freed, the memories of the past two and a half years had become vague, and, thankfully, somewhat unreal. Talia occasionally had trouble remembering the smaller details of what had occurred. Many of the memories she did remember, were of things she would sooner forget, especially the searingly painful recollections of the experiments Psi-Corps had conducted on her shortly after she had left Babylon 5.
"They didn't ask you about... ?" Susan asked, her words trailing off as she was unable to finish the sentence.
Talia shook her head. "No, they still think I am the same as I was when I left Mars, and because they can't scan me..." Talia left the rest unsaid, knowing that Susan already knew what she meant. The gift Jason Ironheart had left in her mind had done a lot more than just increase her telepathic abilities, it had also allowed her to hide away her thoughts from anyone. Even a powerful Psi-Cop couldn't break through her block, if she didn't want him to.
Susan smiled, leaving her meal untouched for the moment. "I guess that means we have the rest of the year together, and hopefully this mission will be over without any trouble."
"I certainly hope so," Talia replied. She leaned a little closer, her hand creeping across the table to softly stroke Susan's. "When do we leave?"
"There is a shuttle waiting at the Earthforce base north of the city," Susan replied, a shiver running through her at Talia's gentle touch. "I said I would be there by fourteen hundred."
Talia pulled her hand away, and glanced down at her watch. "We had better finish lunch then. Otherwise we are going to miss that shuttle."
Susan nodded, more than a little disappointed as Talia pulled away. "I wish we had more time," she said wistfully. "This is a such a nice place to eat, and the food is really great."
"Mm, it certainly is," Talia replied between mouthfuls of fish. Her eyes opened wide at the wonderfully subtle tapestry of tastes that built with every bite. "This sauce is incredible."
Susan just smiled, and began her own meal, although she seemed to spend more time watching Talia enjoy her meal, than she spent enjoying hers. She really prized the moments they had together, and knew that being back in command of the Rasputin meant she would probably be seeing Talia only when she was off duty. After three wonderful weeks of spending almost all their time together, it was going to be difficult to adjust to the protocols and regimens of her warship. Still, she felt a lot better knowing that Talia was going to be along with her. Susan didn't know how she would have coped if Talia had been reassigned, and taken away from her again. As long as Talia was with her she knew she could survive anything, do anything, just as long as she could go to bed at night with Talia's beautiful body cradled against hers.
Like some tiny insect, the Earthforce shuttle manoeuvred its way through the crowded space above Earth. Construction platforms for the new defence grid dominated the lower orbits, while swarming above them was a large number of small shuttles, and the looming shapes of several Omega Class destroyers on patrol. The shuttle ignored all of these vessels, and wove its way towards the largest of the warships above the planet, the silver-hulled EAS Rasputin.
From her seat in the shuttle's passenger cabin, Susan examined the warship with a critical eye. The monitor in front of her had been set to allow a perfect view of the Rasputin as the shuttle manoeuvred toward the warship's shuttle bay. What she saw impressed her greatly, for the battle wounds and scars had been erased in the repair yards at Io. Gone were the dark patches on the hull where the thin outer skin had been shattered during the battle above Proxima III. Also, the missing solar panels had been replaced, leaving the ship looking as good as the day Susan had first taken command.
Not that the Rasputin was actually that old. In fact, less than two months had passed since it had been commissioned, but considering the battle it had been through, it was looking surprisingly unblemished. There were no signs of any of the alterations that the Admiral had mentioned, but Susan imagined she would soon be given a full report by her executive officer, assuming he was still on board. Her internal security protocols, hard lessons learned during the dangerous years abroad Babylon 5, had helped her decide that something as innocuous as a review of the crew lists should wait until she was safely aboard her ship. 'That's taking security more than one step into the paranoid,' she thought to herself. A mirthless smile crossed her face as Susan recognised that she might need a retrofit as well.
The shuttle shuddered slightly, and the hull of the Rasputin vanished off the monitor, indicating that the small vessel was beginning to brake in preparation for its docking manoeuvres. Susan checked the thin strap that held her in place, making sure it was still secure. That worry out of the way, she glanced over at Talia, the only other passenger on board. Talia looked a little nervous, as she always did when flying on anything as small as a shuttle. Susan gave her a reassuring smile and then settled back to wait for the docking sequence to deposit their ride in the Rasputin's main shuttle bay.
Less than a minute, she was home, and the feeling of weightlessness began to fade away as the shuttle came under the effect of the Rasputin's artificial gravity system. Although she was now free to undo the strap that held her to her seat, Susan chose not to do so until the shuttle came to rest in the main bay, just in case. There were no accidents though, and as soon as the outer door opened she made her way down the ladder into the shuttle bay, pausing only briefly to help Talia down.
At the bottom of the steps, his arms full of data pads, was her executive officer, Commander Gregor Petrov. His tall, lanky frame was unchanged from the last time she had seen him, and he looked just as unwavering in his posture as always. "Captain," he said in his normal neutral tone of voice. "Good to have you back."
"Good to be back, Commander," she replied, before looking around to see what, if anything, had changed in the shuttle bay since she had last been here, just under three weeks ago. One thing, or rather two very large things, stood out at once. Gone were the standard Phoenix Class shuttles, and in their place where two new vessels, both large atmospheric shuttles with civilian markings.
"They are the IPX shuttles," Petrov explained, noticing her interest in the new arrivals. He passed across one of his many data pads. "All the information on the equipment they have bought on board is right here."
"You know about our mission then?" Susan asked.
Petrov nodded. "I was informed of the basics at a meeting with Admiral Mellor two days ago. Since then, I have been working with Dr. Melis from Interplanetary Expeditions, mainly helping him store all the equipment his team seems to need. All the information is on that data pad, along with a few personal notes."
"Thank you, Commander," Susan replied, flipping through the first few pages of information, before shutting down the data pad and tucking it under one arm. "I will take a look at it later." She turned around to face Talia, who was waiting patiently behind her. "I will probably be some time," she told her companion apologetically.
Talia looked sympathetic. "I will go and unpack, then." She then turned around to face Petrov, who was standing quietly watching the two women. "Did our luggage arrive from Io?" she asked.
Petrov nodded in confirmation. "Yes, it came in this morning, on a shuttle full of crew members returning from leave. I have sent your bags up to the guest room you had before, and the Captain's to her quarters."
"Thank you, Commander," Talia replied, looking pleased. She had been concerned about the bags they had bought back on the liner from Babylon 5. The trip had already been booked, so when Admiral Mellor's message had arrived, there had not been time to transfer them to one bound for Earth. Instead, as they made last minute plans to catch an Earthforce shuttle, their luggage made an unaccompanied trip to the Rasputin. After learning that the warship had been sent on to Earth, both women had been concerned about the "lost" luggage, Talia especially, as most of the clothes she owned had been in her bags.
"I will see you later, Susan," Talia said, her voice and facial expressions leaving no doubt as to just where she would be meeting the Rasputin's Captain. She followed up her words with a gentle mental caress, just so Susan knew she was thinking about her.
Susan smiled faintly as she felt Talia's feelings in her mind, and then nodded. "I will try not to be too long." Talia signalled her approval and left, Susan's eyes following her as she made her way across the platform towards the elevators to the upper decks. Her vision, however, was soon blocked a large man in an expensive looking business suit who appeared out of nowhere and started waving a data pad angrily at Petrov.
"Commander," the tall man was saying. "I demand to know why my team has been forced to share rooms. This is an intolerable arrangement! Why, some of the rooms have four bunks in them. How can we be expected to work under these conditions."
"I believe you will find that they are all that is available," Susan cut in, just before Petrov was about to explain the situation. "This is a warship; not a star liner. The rooms your team had been given are some of the best on the ship." Actually she didn't know this for sure, but assumed that Petrov would assign the civilians to empty quarters on deck 6, which were much like the rest of the crew quarters.
The man, who's name-tag read Dr. Melis, looked a extremely annoyed by her interruption, and was about to respond, when he noticed her rank and bit off the words he had been about to utter. "Captain Ivanova?" he queried. She nodded in confirmation and his manner changed completely, becoming almost obsequious, especially when compared to the way he had been shouting at Petrov. "I was not informed that you had arrived."
"I have only just returned from Earth," she informed him. "I haven't had time to make a formal announcement yet."
He nodded, missing the hint of sarcasm in her last sentence. "I am Dr. Jack Melis, head of the IPX rescue mission." He stuck out his hand for Susan to shake, which she did.
As their hand touched briefly, Susan allowed the walls inside her mind to lower just a little, attempting to pick up on what kind of man he was. The emotion she felt was very strange indeed, part greed, part respect, and mixed in were several other, darker emotions. In other words, Dr. Melis was a strange creature indeed, and Susan didn't know quite what to make of him. She wasn't about to let that get in the way of her annoyance at his presence though. "Are all of your team on board?" she asked.
"Yes, but..." Melis said.
Susan cut him off. "And all your equipment has been stowed away securely?"
"The last shuttle just arrived," Melis replied, his moustache appearing to quiver as he spoke. "I did want to talk about..."
"Then you can tell your team that we will be leaving within the hour," she informed him, again cutting the doctor off before he could finish his sentence. She turned back to Petrov. "I assume all of our crew are on board," she asked.
He nodded. "All present and accounted for, Captain. We even have a full compliment of replacements for the pilots and marines we lost at Proxima. You were the last to arrive."
She nodded. "Then we have work to do. Commander, I want to see you on the bridge as soon as possible. I want to go over a few things before we depart." She turned back and glared at the Melis. "Doctor, I think you should return to your quarters for now. If you have any questions, you can direct them to the shuttle bay duty officer. I will be available from eighteen hundred hours tonight, if you wish to schedule a appointment."
"But..." he tried to argue, his face turning red with frustration at the way he was being treated.
Susan wasn't taking any notice. "Commander," she said, saluting Petrov.
"I'll be along in a couple of minutes," he replied, with an answering Salute.
With a brief nod, Susan left Melis still standing around looking a little confused. Petrov quickly took advantage of the doctor's astonishment to make a quick escape. He looked at Melis and shrugged, as if to say his captain's behaviour was out of his hands, and then he ran off to catch up with her, just as she was walking beneath one of the huge IPX shuttles. "Thanks, Captain," he said. "I have been having trouble with him all day."
"Well if he gives you any more, lock him in the brig," she replied, only half joking. Then more serious she added, "this mission is going to be enough trouble without civilians trying to give orders. Remember that this ship is a military vessel, therefore all Earthforce personal outrank the civilian passengers, no matter how loudly they shout."
"I will circulate a memo to the crew," Petrov said. "Is there anything else you would like to add, perhaps something about our mission."
"You mean the crew haven't been informed yet?" Susan asked, a frown creeping across her face.
"Not yet, Captain," Petrov replied as they reached the elevators. "They know the basics of the mission, but not the exact destination. Dr. Melis thought it best, as it was a classified exploration mission."
She pressed the button that signalled the elevator. "Then send out all the necessary information to senior officers," she replied, as the elevator doors opened and both officers stepped inside. "We don't know exactly what we are going to encounter on this Vorlon world. So, at least as far as I am concerned, the more people we have clued in and working on this the better. I will schedule a meeting for all senior officers in the conference room tomorrow morning to discuss the mission, and, given where we are heading, make what contingency plans we can."
"Shall I invite Dr. Melis," Petrov asked, before turning to the elevator's computer. "Deck one." The doors closed and a slight hum signalled the beginning of their journey up to the command deck.
"Yes," Susan replied as the elevator ended its journey. "As well as any others of his team that you think might be useful. I want to make sure about this one. Admiral Mellor seemed to think we should have little trouble rescuing this survey vessel, but I am not so certain. This is a Vorlon world we are talking about here."
"And no expedition has ever returned from the Vorlon's Empire," Petrov finished for her.
"That is correct, Commander," Susan said, as the elevator doors opened and they both stepped out, heading for the bridge. "However, this world is only just inside Vorlon space and there aren't any Vorlon's around any more I can hope that also means there are no defences waiting to destroy us as soon as we arrive."
"I thought the IPX probe reported that there were no defensive systems in operation around the planet."
Susan nodded in confirmation. "The information I saw said that. However, I have learned not to trust reports like that, especially when it comes to the Vorlons. There is still a lot we don't know about them, and will probably never learn. So for the duration of this mission, I suggest we treat everything we encounter very cautiously indeed. The Admiral was quite clear with me that the safety of the ship comes first and you can be sure I will pull the plug on this mission if I think there is anything that endangers us."
Petrov signalled his understanding, and noted that comment down on a data pad, nearly dropping three others in the process. He managed to catch them in time though, and gather the stack back up into a neat pile. "Information for all the senior officers," he explained, recognising the unvoiced question in Susan's stare. "I thought it would be useful to prepare a information package for everyone, as a preliminary mission brief."
"Are all the senior officers on board?" Susan asked, realising that she hadn't seen anyone except Petrov and the crew down in the shuttle bay.
He nodded. "All except Dr. Kozlowski, but he won't be returning. Major Logan and Lt. Commander Schmitt are currently down in the hanger bay I believe. Lt. Commander Moore is in engineering, and the last time I saw Lt. Commander Dreyer he was heading off to test the main gun's targeting systems, to see if the repairs have been completed correctly." He paused for a second before adding, "that was two days ago."
"Well you had better round them up. I will need to see all of them in the conference room tomorrow morning," Susan said, before considering the exact details of what she wanted to discuss. "Let's make it ten hundred hours, tomorrow. Actually on second thoughts don't worry about informing everyone, I will personally send a message to each of them tonight."
"What would you like me to do in the meantime?" Petrov asked, as they reached the closed doors leading onto the bridge.
Susan paused in front of the doors. "You can continue with what you are already doing. That should do for now. I want to make sure everyone if ready for whatever we might face when we get to Arias. I am hoping that there won't be any problems, but it never pays to be too careful."
"Understood," he replied, reaching out and pressing his thumb again the control that opened the bridge doors.
Susan noticed the difference immediately. Before the doors had required a passcard to open them, but now they had a new lock that seemed to require physical contact before it would open. "That's new," she commented to Petrov as they made their way onto the bridge.
Her executive officer nodded. "That is one of the minor alterations that have been made during the three weeks we had off," he said as the two officers made their way across to the command station, ignoring the junior officer who leapt to attention and announced Susan's arrival.
Susan tossed off a quick, "As you were," and returned her attention to Commander Petrov's explanation.
"It is a small genetic scanner that reads your DNA and matches it to the record on file." He paused, and then smiled for the first time since Susan had arrived. "It keeps unwanted guests out."
Susan looked pleased with the improvement. "Were the new locks installed across the entire ship?" she asked.
Petrov shook his head. "No, just along the command deck. Earthforce R&D wants a field trial for them, before they become standard."
"I gather there is some way to allow more DNA codes to be accepted by each lock?" Susan asked as she took her seat, remembering that she had given Talia the old passcard for her quarters, which was, of course, now useless.
"Quite easily, Captain," Petrov replied. The information is on the computer in your office, along with all the other reports about the new improvements and upgrades the technicians made during the repairs.
"Where there many?"
"Not a lot," Petrov said. "The main change has been upgrades to some of the software for the sensors and the weapons systems. According to the report I got, they are supposed to have ironed out some of the bugs they detected after looking over the data from the battle, although I have my doubts. Three weeks isn't long enough to make any major software changes in my opinion."
"So we are still being used as guinea pigs," Susan said with a faint smile, as she looked around the bridge. At least nothing there had changed, the bridge crew looking as familiar as before. She noticed they were all sneaking glances up at the command officers, as if trying to determine what the Rasputin's new mission was. Susan wondered what they would think when they found out.
Susan glanced down at her console, and noting that the trip from Earth had taken nearly an hour. She looked up again. "Is everything ready for departure, Commander?"
"Yes, Captain," he replied. "All of the crew are ready to go. The IPX team probably aren't happy, but then I doubt they will ever be completely happy. Apart from that, we can depart as soon as you like."
Susan looked over at Lieutenant Heneker, noting that the red-haired woman had managed to somehow pick up a nice tan during her three weeks leave. "Do we have clearance to depart orbit?" she asked the communication officer.
Heneker quickly checked with Earth Central traffic control. "We are clear to depart, Captain," she replied, as soon as the console in front of her reported on the Rasputin's status.
Susan turned around towards Petrov again. "Do you have our destination's coordinates?" she asked. When he nodded she continued, "give them to navigation then."
Petrov nodded again, and hurried down to sunken forward section. As he passed on the information to the navigation officer she pressed the control that would allow her to address the entire crew. "This is Captain Ivanova," she said, trying to sound as authoritative as she could. "We are preparing to leave Earth orbit. All department heads, report current status." That message sent, she sat back and watched the console in front of her as a series of green lights appeared on the screen, as each section of the warship lit up its readiness.
By the time all the lights had appeared, all green fortunately, Petrov had returned. "Navigation reports that coordinates have been entered into the computer."
Susan nodded, looking up from her console, and over at the Rasputin's helmsman. "Helm, take us out of orbit. When we are clear of Earth's gravity, and any nearby ships, activate the jump engines."
"Aye, Aye, Captain," was the helmsman's response, as he turned his attention to his console.
Susan leaned back against her soft, padded chair and watched as the other nearby vessels, all visible on the bridge's holographic display screen, slowly slipped away. It took less than five minutes before the warship had left Earth space and entered the chaotic realm of Hyperspace. "Hopefully, we didn't leave anyone behind," Susan said as the navigation officer set course for the distant Hyperspace beacon that corresponded to their destination.
"You don't need to worry about that, Captain," Petrov assured her. "I made sure everyone was on board, either in their quarters, or at their posts, before you arrived. Anyway, urgency is important in rescue missions."
"Assuming there is still someone left to rescue," Susan mused.
"You think they are all dead," Petrov asked with a surprised look.
Susan nodded slowly. "I think it is a possibility. But, even if they are, we will still do our best to find them and bring them back. That is our mission, after all."
Petrov nodded his agreement, and leaned back against the railing that bordered the raised command section. "All we can do is follow our orders," he agreed.
Susan didn't reply. Instead, she just looked out at the mists of Hyperspace. The swirling red mists seemed to clutch at the Rasputin's hull as it ploughed onwards towards its distant destination. The warship barely even appeared to be moving, but Susan knew that they were travelling at over half a light year every hour. If they returned to real space now, Earth would just be a distant sphere, and with every second they went further and further into the unknown, away from the security of home and towards the dangers of the abandoned worlds of the Vorlon Empire.
Glancing over at her executive officer Susan wondered if he was thinking the same thing as he stared at the holographic display that covered the ceiling of the bridge. Her mind soon turned away from speculation; focusing instead on the tough mission that lay ahead. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, regardless of what the Admiral's assurances. As she had told Mellor in their meeting, nothing about the Vorlon's was ever that simple. All Susan could hope for was that she was able to rescue the survivors, assuming there were any, and make it out alive.
On the world of Arias, the Rasputin's destination, Alex Kurmis huddled beneath a crumbling log, trying to avoid the creatures he knew were searching for him. They had already killed the rest of the scouting party, or at least that is what he assumed had happened. As soon as the attack had started he had fled, but the screams of his two companions left little doubt in his mind as to what had occurred. He hadn't stuck around to find out for sure, running as fast as he could towards the swamp, and the raft that would hopefully carry him to freedom.
Now, as he hid from the aliens searching for him, Alex cursed the day he accepted the job with IPX. He should have know better, but when he read the advertisement in the Psi-Corps journal asking for telepaths, he had let his greed get the better of him. Now here he was, being hunted across some alien swamp by god only knew what, all because he had wanted to earn a few extra credits and get to see the galaxy at the same time.
A loud cracking sound echoed across the dank swamp, reaching his ears despite the continuous buzzing from the myriad of insects and reptilian life that seemed to make the still waters of the swamp their home. Alex glanced up, looking over the black water towards the massive shape of the survey ship, which rested undamaged in the middle of the swamp. Closer to him, only a few metres away, was the small raft the scouting party had used to cross the swamp. One quick dash and he would be there.
He steeled his nerves and prepared to chance his luck, anything to get out of the swamp and back into the relative security of the ship. Then a fluttering sound reached his ears. He looked up, straight into the gleaming green eyes of a small bird-like creature, its feathery wings disguising its reptilian origin. Using his telepathic powers, Alex reached out, trying to scare the bird into flying off, to prevent it from giving away his location to the aliens that hunting him through the dark jungle.
He sighed with relief as the creature watching him flapped its wings wildly and flew away over the swamp. Then he heard the sounds of something large approaching him from behind. Summoning the last of his courage he leapt up from his hiding place and ran as fast as he could towards the raft, almost falling as he stumbled across the soggy black soil. The distant radiance from the survey ship's emergency lights were the only illumination in this dark hell, but it was just enough for him to find his way to the small raft.
With an almost Herculean effort, he hurled himself in the direction of the raft, hoping his momentum would be enough to shove it into the water, and away from the monsters he imagined were bearing down on him. It wasn't. Instead, he slid straight across the raft's smooth plastic surface and into the foul smelling waters of the swamp. Gasping for air, and spitting out the water he had almost swallowed, Alex looked back at the raft to see why it hadn't moved.
Sticking through one corner was a large spear, made of a yellow-green metal, a metal that glowed faintly despite the complete lack of light in the immediate vicinity. It had been driven straight through the hard plastic of the raft and deep into the ground below, securing the raft firmly. A loud crashing noise sounded from the edge of the rotting jungle and the creature that had thrown the spear came into view. Alex barely even had time to scream before the huge alien monster leapt towards him, one hand outstretched, with four incredibly sharp claws reaching for the telepath's throat.
