Chapter 52 (Elizabeth Lochley)

The damage to her city was not as bad as she had thought. Of course it would take a fleet of Minbari ships to inflict much damage on a city this size and the design was so impressive, she had never understood the layout of shield cables and joints. The city was designed in such a way that it had to hold the weight of all the water, people, land and materials. Energy was siphoned from the friction core located at the centre of the city and any energy weapon used on the city would cause it to dissipate quickly down the channels and into the core, providing power to the city. Elizabeth had seen the effect of this technology from her location on the control deck when the Minbari ship fired its weapons. Streetlights and buildings would light up as the energy beam struck telling her that this city was receiving a tremendous amount of energy.

So far the city was running off three nuclear reactors at different locations throughout the city. The reactors provided power to the emergency and life support systems and they were also used as the primary source of charging power to force the city into hyperspace. Once the city was in hyperspace, the nuclear reactors would shut down and the friction core would take over, providing unlimited power for eternity.

Elizabeth parked her vehicle at the intersection that was closed off due to the damage the Minbari had caused. Huge gouges had been created in a diagonal line all the way to the upper town district. The damage looked severe, but repair bots had already removed the damaged segments and material had already begun to pile up for the repairs. The engineer she had spoken to earlier appeared from the crowd of volunteer workers who marched up to greet her.

"Elizabeth." His hands were open, in a warm greeting. "It was not necessary for you to come all the way down here. I told you this over the intercom."

"Well, I could not sit around and ignore what happened. This will be my city soon and I want to know everything about it. I've been studying the designs and learning the layout since the day I left the academy."

Walking over to one of the damaged segments, Elizabeth stared down a huge twelve-deck hole that ripped through the main street and some of the buildings before disappearing beyond her vision.

"What's the progress?"

The engineer removed his hat and ran his gaze over the damaged area. "It looks worse than it actually is. Most of it was cosmetic damage that will take considerable time to repair, but my teams have been working around the clock to restore all the utilities to this area."

"What's been affected?"

"We've restored the main transport track in and out of this section. The electric and communication lines had been done today and the water and sewer lines will be the next to be fixed. But our manpower is stretched thin because Elvis has given high priority to getting the hyperspace engines installed and operating. He wants both cities ready to go at a moment's notice. I guess the Minbari showing up kind of spooked him."

Elizabeth dismissed the last comment because that man did not appear to get spooked at anything. She had heard the rumours about his behaviour and the type of man he was. It stood to reason that he wanted the cities ready at a moment's notice so he could escape in luxury and gain the credit for quick thinking when it was the workers that had done all the hard work.

"So, when will you officially become the commander?"

Elizabeth looked at the engineer; the question had been asked just a bit too casually. But of course he did have a point.

"I've received no orders at the moment. The only person that can assign me the post is Elvis and we all know what type of man he is."

Elizabeth was suddenly horrified by the words that left her mouth. She wanted to keep her opinions to herself and blabbing on about the man was dangerous. But she was comforted when the engineer gave her a look of agreement. Just then, one of the workers caused a three-foot electrical arc that shorted out several tools and caused a small fire beside one of the substations. With more work than he could handle, the worker excused himself and left Elizabeth alone.

The man's question about when she would officially be given command of the city plagued her mind. She had checked up on the second city docked beside, but that had yet to be allocated a commander. It had been announced that she would be given the keys to this city.

She had packed her belongings and moved into the officers' building located near the central control tower that oversaw every operation in the city. But her appointment as the commander had yet to be finalized. Elizabeth had been looking forward to the big celebration and the parties that would follow all around the city. But so far, everyone was holding their breath as the decision had yet to be made.

As she continued to inspect the damage caused by the attack, she knew it would take more than workers and steel to repair the city's mental scars. If she could offer her certainty, the city would be okay.

Once she became the commander Elizabeth would assure the people that this city would not become a floating mass wreck in hyperspace. It would be a colony guided by one person who would unify the city and its people.

More damage could be seen past the local park and close to the lake that provided all the water the city needed. As if by fate, the line of destruction had ended just beside the large barrier that held the water back. If it were penetrated, thousands of tons of water would have spilled down the gash and flooded all the decks below. She was glad the Minbari were stopped and disaster averted.

She looked up and saw Elvis walking along the path towards what looked like a residential complex. She wondered what he was up to, but was smart enough to stay out of his way. The rumours grew worse the more she learned about the man. In the end she wished she had never asked.