Here's the final chapter. Enjoy! ^^ Please R&R!
CHAPTER EIGHT
"How are you feeling?" Gideon asked her.
Lochley perched herself up from the chair. "Better," she replied with a tight smile, putting down the papers. They were in the conference room of the Excalibur, waiting for the rest of the command crew. "But now I have all this paperwork waiting for me."
"What's new?" he asked.
"Look, Matt," she said after a moment of silent awkwardness, "I didn't really got a chance to thank you for coming in when you did. I could be dead right now if you didn't appear to save my station from becoming sub-atomic particles." She smiled softly. "Well, here it is. Thank you. For everything."
"You're welcome."
The awkwardness ended when the doors slid open and in marched Dureena. Clean. She marched up to Gideon, and with a finger pointed to his face, she growled, "If you ever, ever put me in command again, shoot me!"
"Yes, ma'am," he replied jokingly.
She growled and tightened her cross arms.
The door swung open again, and in walked Dr. Chambers and Max Eilerson. "You'll be happy to know, captains," Max began, "that Catalina has been place under charges over sabotage of the military unit. She's aboard the Scutum right now, in their Security Center. She'll be shipped to Earth for her appearance in Court."
"Maintenace crews from the ships has been dispatched to the station for repairs," Chambers added, directing to Lochley. "The ships caught up with a few life pods floating around and are being cared for right now in some of the bases nearby administered by the InterStellar Alliance. They'll be returning back to the station in a couple of days."
"Good," Lochley replied. "Thank you."
The doors swung open again, to reveal Matheson and Miller, Matheson in his uniform now while Miller remained in a pilot's jumpsuit. "Captain," Matheson called. "I wanted to suggest to you about placing Miller head of the Beta Squad unit aboard the ship. He may be annoying, but he's one hell of a good pilot."
"Consider it done," Gideon replied, nodding at Miller.
"Thank you, sir," Miller said grandly.
The doors swung open one more time, this time an Earthforce officer entered the room. A captain in the navy blue uniform with the Earthforce insignia flashing. She had a bold approach, Russian visage with her hair pulled tightly behind her head and breaking off to a ponytail. Her wrists were on top of each other as she nodded curtly.
Eilerson gasped.
"Crew, I'd like you to meet Captain Susan Ivanova of the Corona Borealis," Gideon introduced, gesturing to the young captain who was perhaps over thirty now. Max blinked; was it only yesterday she was in a commander's uniform? Funny, it was only six years ago she was only a commander of Babylon 5.
Gideon was different; darker, always brooding. Or maybe it was only because he and Gideon were always at each other's throats...
Marcus.
Once Ivanova reached him, he would ask what happened to his ranger friend who had that puppy love for her years ago.
"And this," Gideon finally said, "is the head of the linguist and archaeological department... Maximillian Eilerson." Max tipped his head politely as Gideon gestured to him. Ivanova returned the acknowledgement. "Eilerson," she greeted kindly but strangely subtle. "It's been a long time since I last saw you. Last time you were on Babylon 5, you were... arranging that meeting with the Hak'Vir."
Now Gideon, Lochley and everyone else in the room were listening carefully to the conversation with the same thought; They met? He didn't mind; he didn't care. This was his business and his alone. He had learned many things since he was assigned to the Excalibur; leave one alone and you shall not be bothered. But it never seem to work either way.
"It's good to see you again," he replied back curtly. "Um, may I ask whatever happened to my good ranger friend, Marcus? I heard that he was involved with the Shadow War and the Civil War in Earth Alliance." He smiled grimly. "Funny...six years..."
Ivanova seemed drawn back. As if recovering from something very painful in her mind, in her heart. This didn't look like good news. "He's gone, Max," she finally stated softly. "He died during the Civil War. He---He saved my life, Max. He let me live and took death instead." She shook her head, as if trying to take away the memory itself.
Max couldn't believe what he was hearing. Marcus, dead? He was a Ranger for crying out loud! If only he was there to see him before the war, or during the war. He was far off when the war started, on an expedition on another planet and were quarintined to remain there till the war ended. So much things have happened; and the ironic thing was, it took him six years before he found out the awful truth.
Marcus Cole was dead.
"If only I were there," he said just above a whisper. Everyone was listening, including Ivanova herself. "I would have gave my life for him. I owed him that much." His eyes followed the table's legs to the floor, casted with an unbearable pang of grief. "He loved you, you know? He---he told me that, that day, a long, long time ago. He was "up to the challange" i suppose." He gave a short, bitter laugh.
"I know," Ivanova replied softly. "He told me that before he---left."
Max gulped dryly; he was in front of the entire crew! They were all looking at him with pity; for once in his entire stay on the ship, they looked at him with that sort of feeling. Oh, what the hell? They're just feeling sorry for him. They didn't care. They always thought that he was always searching for a greater profit margin; what did they know? Oh, look! Maximillian Eilerson, the guy after money all the time, has feelings! "I---I guess that ends my question. Now, I guess I'll have to live with this truth till the day I die, eternally grateful for what he did all those years ago. Who said the dead can't hear our prayers?"
"Max---!" Chambers broke in, unable to hold the tension.
Max just shrugged, and then the talking was reinsated as the two captains were talking to Ivanova, the former commander of Babylon 5. He was left out all over again to himself and his thoughts as he walked over to the window where the stars just loomed over. Not even a couple of miles could stop him from talking to him. Somewhere, out there, Marcus Cole was there, with that damned Minbari pike that nearly lost his nose, looking down at whatever he and Ivanova were doing, every move they made. He probably wanted them to move on. Life must go on.
All those stars...
Goodbye, my friend. You will be missed.
END
CHAPTER EIGHT
"How are you feeling?" Gideon asked her.
Lochley perched herself up from the chair. "Better," she replied with a tight smile, putting down the papers. They were in the conference room of the Excalibur, waiting for the rest of the command crew. "But now I have all this paperwork waiting for me."
"What's new?" he asked.
"Look, Matt," she said after a moment of silent awkwardness, "I didn't really got a chance to thank you for coming in when you did. I could be dead right now if you didn't appear to save my station from becoming sub-atomic particles." She smiled softly. "Well, here it is. Thank you. For everything."
"You're welcome."
The awkwardness ended when the doors slid open and in marched Dureena. Clean. She marched up to Gideon, and with a finger pointed to his face, she growled, "If you ever, ever put me in command again, shoot me!"
"Yes, ma'am," he replied jokingly.
She growled and tightened her cross arms.
The door swung open again, and in walked Dr. Chambers and Max Eilerson. "You'll be happy to know, captains," Max began, "that Catalina has been place under charges over sabotage of the military unit. She's aboard the Scutum right now, in their Security Center. She'll be shipped to Earth for her appearance in Court."
"Maintenace crews from the ships has been dispatched to the station for repairs," Chambers added, directing to Lochley. "The ships caught up with a few life pods floating around and are being cared for right now in some of the bases nearby administered by the InterStellar Alliance. They'll be returning back to the station in a couple of days."
"Good," Lochley replied. "Thank you."
The doors swung open again, to reveal Matheson and Miller, Matheson in his uniform now while Miller remained in a pilot's jumpsuit. "Captain," Matheson called. "I wanted to suggest to you about placing Miller head of the Beta Squad unit aboard the ship. He may be annoying, but he's one hell of a good pilot."
"Consider it done," Gideon replied, nodding at Miller.
"Thank you, sir," Miller said grandly.
The doors swung open one more time, this time an Earthforce officer entered the room. A captain in the navy blue uniform with the Earthforce insignia flashing. She had a bold approach, Russian visage with her hair pulled tightly behind her head and breaking off to a ponytail. Her wrists were on top of each other as she nodded curtly.
Eilerson gasped.
"Crew, I'd like you to meet Captain Susan Ivanova of the Corona Borealis," Gideon introduced, gesturing to the young captain who was perhaps over thirty now. Max blinked; was it only yesterday she was in a commander's uniform? Funny, it was only six years ago she was only a commander of Babylon 5.
Gideon was different; darker, always brooding. Or maybe it was only because he and Gideon were always at each other's throats...
Marcus.
Once Ivanova reached him, he would ask what happened to his ranger friend who had that puppy love for her years ago.
"And this," Gideon finally said, "is the head of the linguist and archaeological department... Maximillian Eilerson." Max tipped his head politely as Gideon gestured to him. Ivanova returned the acknowledgement. "Eilerson," she greeted kindly but strangely subtle. "It's been a long time since I last saw you. Last time you were on Babylon 5, you were... arranging that meeting with the Hak'Vir."
Now Gideon, Lochley and everyone else in the room were listening carefully to the conversation with the same thought; They met? He didn't mind; he didn't care. This was his business and his alone. He had learned many things since he was assigned to the Excalibur; leave one alone and you shall not be bothered. But it never seem to work either way.
"It's good to see you again," he replied back curtly. "Um, may I ask whatever happened to my good ranger friend, Marcus? I heard that he was involved with the Shadow War and the Civil War in Earth Alliance." He smiled grimly. "Funny...six years..."
Ivanova seemed drawn back. As if recovering from something very painful in her mind, in her heart. This didn't look like good news. "He's gone, Max," she finally stated softly. "He died during the Civil War. He---He saved my life, Max. He let me live and took death instead." She shook her head, as if trying to take away the memory itself.
Max couldn't believe what he was hearing. Marcus, dead? He was a Ranger for crying out loud! If only he was there to see him before the war, or during the war. He was far off when the war started, on an expedition on another planet and were quarintined to remain there till the war ended. So much things have happened; and the ironic thing was, it took him six years before he found out the awful truth.
Marcus Cole was dead.
"If only I were there," he said just above a whisper. Everyone was listening, including Ivanova herself. "I would have gave my life for him. I owed him that much." His eyes followed the table's legs to the floor, casted with an unbearable pang of grief. "He loved you, you know? He---he told me that, that day, a long, long time ago. He was "up to the challange" i suppose." He gave a short, bitter laugh.
"I know," Ivanova replied softly. "He told me that before he---left."
Max gulped dryly; he was in front of the entire crew! They were all looking at him with pity; for once in his entire stay on the ship, they looked at him with that sort of feeling. Oh, what the hell? They're just feeling sorry for him. They didn't care. They always thought that he was always searching for a greater profit margin; what did they know? Oh, look! Maximillian Eilerson, the guy after money all the time, has feelings! "I---I guess that ends my question. Now, I guess I'll have to live with this truth till the day I die, eternally grateful for what he did all those years ago. Who said the dead can't hear our prayers?"
"Max---!" Chambers broke in, unable to hold the tension.
Max just shrugged, and then the talking was reinsated as the two captains were talking to Ivanova, the former commander of Babylon 5. He was left out all over again to himself and his thoughts as he walked over to the window where the stars just loomed over. Not even a couple of miles could stop him from talking to him. Somewhere, out there, Marcus Cole was there, with that damned Minbari pike that nearly lost his nose, looking down at whatever he and Ivanova were doing, every move they made. He probably wanted them to move on. Life must go on.
All those stars...
Goodbye, my friend. You will be missed.
END