************** CHAPTER ONE ****************
INTERSTELLAR ALLIANCE SPACE STATION BABYLON 5 ADMIRAL BARNES' QUARTERS; BLUE SECTORJANUARY 6, 2272, 04:35 EST
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Jerry Barnes, throughout the years of his military career, had many jobs, all of which normally required an early start in the morning from him. Yet, even after spending dozens of years waking up early, rather by intention or by being forced to deal with whatever crisis was at hand, he still enjoyed the opportunities he had to sleep late. It was something he had planned on doing this morning, having very little on his agenda aside from a handful of meetings with various Alliance military leaders and diplomats who had begun arriving on the station for the ceremony in two days, his ceremony.
He stopped short of thinking about how much he truly disliked ceremonies, especially where he was the main subject and instead focused on the near constant chiming of his door-signal. With a moan, Barnes rolled out of bed and onto his feet. Staggering about his quarters he placed his blue robe, which had been earlier discarded onto the floor, on over his gray EAS Dark Thunder t-shirt and pair of boxer shorts. He made his way to the door where he tapped a panel near it, bringing the lights in the room up to a dim level. Then, making note of the time on a nearby clock, pressed the button to unlock and open the door.
With a notable sound, the door slid open revealing a seemingly fully awake and alert Julia Rourke, newly appointed Assistant Director of Alliance Intelligence, on the other side. "Julia," Jerry said, beating her to the punch as she was beginning to speak. "It's four thirty in the morning you have got to get a life," Barnes commented groggily as he rubbed the front of his head, trying to dispel a morning headache that had just come upon him. Though he made a joke about it in good spirits, an early morning visit from the highest rank member of ISA Intelligence onboard the station was hardly ever a joking matter. Barnes then stood aside from the door and gestured for her to enter, which she did promptly.
"Admiral, we have a rather large potential situation on our hands." The door closing behind her, Barnes took a seat on a nearby couch, as did Rourke, following his lead as she continued with her briefing. "Information coming in is still pretty sketchy at this point but what we do know for sure is that a little more than an hour ago, Earth Force lost contact with their Seventh Fleet on the other side of what used to be Vorlon territory," she consulted the notes she had hastily made on a data pad earlier before continuing. "Sector 2837 to be exact."
"The Unknown Region," Barnes commented, pointing out the commonly used name for those areas of space that had yet to be explored by any of the space-faring races. Although they bordered many of the Alliance worlds, they were largely surrounded by Vorlon territory and had never been of particular interest to any of the younger races, those opting instead to explore those worlds formerly belonging to the Vorlons in search of advanced technology, all with less than successful results. In the years of searching for a cure to the Drahk plague unleashed on Earth, the Unknown Regions had lost any interest for explorers, scientists or colonists. "That's near the Earth Alliance border of the Unknown Regions but still quite a ways outside of their normal operating regions, what exactly was the Seventh Fleet doing in that sector?"
It was a question she was more than prepared for, as it was the first she upon hearing the news. "The EAS Columbus an Explorer class ship was scouting the sector as part of Earth's new exploration initiative. They lost contact with her first. The closest response force was the Seventh Fleet, which was on exercise maneuvers in the outer territories of the Earth Alliance. They sent in a small search and rescue group to the system, led by a destroyer; several unidentified ships attacked it prompting them to send in the rest of the fleet. They drove off the attackers but were ambushed by a numerically superior force. Earth Force HQ lost all contact with the fleet approximately thirty minutes after they reported having engaged the hostile forces." Though Rourke maintained a straightforward, professional demeanor, the concern she felt for the situation was more than evident to Barnes, who had known her for over eight years. "Earth chose to notify the Interstellar Alliance and look to us for some guidance on how they should proceed next. Director Halloran is briefing the President on Minbar as we speak and she asked that I brief you as well as the rest of the military command staff."
Barnes nodded. It had been two months ago this date when President Sheridan had officially offered him the position as commander of a unified Interstellar Alliance military force, which he had proposed to take the somewhat historic name, 'Army of Light', and over three years since he had first proposed the idea to the President. Now, even before he was officially sworn into the office, it seemed as though his radical idea would be given its first real test. "Let's get a jump on this before the President calls then. Send a message to all White Star Fleet commanders and place them on Alert Status Bravo. Then I want to completely seal off that sector of space; post White Stars, cruisers and destroyers along all the hyperspace routes necessary to allow for an effective blockade of the sector."
Rourke, having anticipated Barnes' orders, had already checked the current positioning and deployment of their forces. "Yes sir, unfortunately most of our ships are forces are currently on peace time patrols along the borders of the Alliance member races. That in mind it's going to take some time to move them into those positions without leaving our key installations and planets inadequately protected."
It was a sad fact that Julia was correct. Having to resolve the most recent Drahk and Shadow-tech crises had left the Army of Light forces spread pretty thin with their normal duties. There were of course new ship building initiatives currently underway but the process of building new White Stars was a slow one, slower still for the An'Shaka' class cruisers and Victory class destroyers, none of the engineers working on the projects completely understood the Vorlon technology they were having to work with and hence their job was made quite tedious. "Pull whatever forces we have to from other assignments, just don't compromise the defenses at Minbar, here at the station or at our shipyards. Also, I'll speak with the Minbari Warrior Caste and see if they can't be convinced to lend some ships. Earth won't be in much of a position to assist with the Seventh gone so we'll have to find resources from elsewhere to help defend their borders in that area."
Barnes rose to his feet with slightly increased vigor, the brief conversation with Julia having heightened his state of alertness. "Get to work on that, give me forty-five minutes then you and Vice Admiral Taylor meet me in my office. Also, get me General Pack at Earth Force HQ on the gold channel in my office in thirty minutes, I'll need to speak with him before we proceed any sooner."
Julia stood and was walking out of Barnes' quarters to carry out his instructions when a though occurred to her. "And just how long do you think it will be before the President calls?" Though she asked the question with a mischievous smile, it was far from a joke.
"Hopefully long enough for me to be in and out of the shower." Barnes answered with a slight grin as he disappeared into the bathroom to prepare for what now seemed was going to be a very long day.
Jerry Barnes was the type of person who fully enjoyed a long, hot shower before a full day of work. It helped him relax and clear his mind before having to deal with whatever the galaxy threw at him on any given day. It seemed that today however, he would not have the luxury of a long shower. His brief conversation with Julia echoed in his mind as the hot water hit his skin. The possible ramifications of the situation with which they were now faced could be devastating. He could already tell what his conversation with General Pack would entail, Earth will be screaming for a full force response against whoever may have destroyed their ships while President Sheridan would be wanting to conduct an investigation and proceed cautiously in handling whatever this new threat was.
Stepping out of the shower, Barnes quickly toweled off and began to dress in his newly tailored black-and-silver uniform of the Army of Light, a design that dated back to when then Captain Sheridan broke Babylon Five away from the Earth Alliance. In the years since, the non-Earth Force members of the Babylon Five command staff had kept it alive and Barnes had successfully managed to have it adopted as the design for the new military wing of the Interstellar Alliance almost three years ago when he began advising President Sheridan on its formation.
As he finished dressing and tied on his perfectly polished black boots, Barnes took a moment to himself. He felt a nightmare coming on and the headache that had begun earlier growing worse. The truth of it was, that the Interstellar Alliance was in no condition to fight an all-out war. Aside from the problems the ISA itself was having, the member worlds were also struggling to recover from recent conflicts that had plagued their governments. Though the combined might of the militaries of all the Alliance governments would be a force to be reckoned with, it had take him, Sheridan and a handful of others years to get the member worlds organized enough to simply agree and implement the unified military command. He had hoped to have more time to organize his command and the Army of light structure, a great deal more time, before having to mobilize the Alliance for a war.
Barnes made one final stop while walking out of his quarters to pickup his link off of one of his bedside tables. He hadn't yet put it on his hand when it chimed and he toggled it on. "Barnes, go."
"Admiral, President Sheridan is on priority frequency for you sir."
Barnes, surprised it had taken the President this long to contact him, immediately answered to patch it through to his office, that he would be there in two minutes. He then toggled his link off, slapped it on his hand, left his quarters and proceeded down the corridor towards the nearest lift. It was indeed going to be a long day.
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ANLA'SHOK COUNCIL CHAMBERS; TUZANOR, MINBARJANUARY 6, 2272, 05:00 EST
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The rate of her pacing through the corridor outside the Anla'Shok council chamber had increased from that of nervous to that of frantic. She had been waiting for an answer now for over two months and she did not expect to be waiting for three more hours once she received the call informing her that the decision had been made.
Finally conceding and sitting down on a nearby stone bench, head resting in her hands, she wondered how she had gotten herself into this mess. The memories were still clear in her mind as she relived them every night since in her dreams. Her White Star, her first command, was on a routine patrol of Drazi territory when they detected a Drahk attack ship and moved to intercept. When they jumped out of hyperspace to engage, it seemed as though the Drahk had other plans; several of their attack ships and a larger support vessel were attacking a Drazi civilian transport. Her command engaged, destroying the squadron of attack ships and badly damaging the larger vessel but losing their weapons in the process. When the Drahk ship fled, she pursued it despite the damaged state of her ship, leaving the Drazi defenseless. They had even managed to destroy the Drahk ship by using the White Stars gravitic engines, superior maneuverability and a hair of good luck to collapse the jump point they had used to try and reenter normal space. They had then returned to the Drazi ship and she discovered the mistake she had made. Another raiding party that had been lying in wait as her ship gave chase to the others had destroyed the transport.
It did not end there however. They were able to lock onto the energy readings left behind by the attackers and pursued them. With their weapons back online, though barely functional, they attacked and destroyed the refueling base where the Drahk squadron had fallen back to but taking heavy damage in the process. The White Star was barely functional, over half of the crew dead and most of the systems offline, it took them over three weeks to return to the nearest Alliance outpost.
When they reached the outpost, they were hailed as heroes for their bravery in the face of overwhelming odds and the sense of dedication they displayed in tracking down the Drahk murders and returning home. Some members of the Anla'Shok Council however had a different opinion on the matter. They judged her actions to be reckless, stating that her first priority should have been to defend the civilians rather than trying to finish the Drahk. They furthermore condemned her for putting her crew into unnecessary danger in pursuing the second attack squadron and ordered an official investigation and inquiry into her suitability to further serve as a commanding officer. Since then she had been delegated to administrative duties here at Tuzanor while the council deliberated on her fate.
Now, as she sat impatiently waiting for the door to the chambers to open and the answer to be given, she could almost feel her life as a Ranger slipping away. Though she knew there were some on the council who supported her, she feared that their voices might not be heard among the rest that did not. For the past several years she had known no other life, having sacrificed almost everything she had previously known when she joined the Anla'Shok and now she could not picture her life any differently. Whatever the outcome of their deliberations was, she knew this day would change her life and it would be a day she would not soon forget.
She knew of course that there were other options available. There were always merchant ships and privateer groups but the option that held her interest greater than any, if indeed her life as a Ranger was to come to an end, was the military wing of the Alliance being put together by Jerry Barnes. Though it would be closely associated with the Rangers, it was indeed a separate entity from which the crews of the Victory class destroyers and other non-Ranger ships of the Alliance were being selected. She had little doubt she could earn a position there though she greatly hoped such a move would not be necessary.
Finding herself looking at the closed doors again, something that had become almost involuntary, she continued to wonder what could be taking them so long. Was this supposed to be some test of her patience? If that was the case it was a test she was failing, though she did find that possibility highly unlikely. Still, she wondered what was taking so long as they told her two hours ago that they reached a decision.
Wanting to find a way to take her mind off of the waiting, she turned to a nearby window overlooking the rest of the Ranger compound and the city of Tuzanor. No matter how many times she had seen this ancient city, the city of sorrows, as it was know to the Minbari, it remained an awe-inspiring sight. She had first seen if from the sky many years ago when arriving on Minbar to begin her training. Now, she continued to wonder if this would be the last time she looked upon the city as a member of the Anla'Shok.
After several more minutes of waiting, gazing over the Minbar landscape, she heard the door to the council chamber slight open. Slowly, the council members filed out of the room, proceeding up the corridor in a direction away from her. For a moment, she was stunned, were they not planning on telling her what the decision was? When they had all gone through another door, leaving the area, she felt what hope she had left begin to fade.
Shortly after the council members had left, another figure, a Minbari clad in simple brown robes, emerged from the chamber. Being someone whom she had met several times during the years, she instantly recognized Nerol, a Minbari scribe assigned as an aide to council. He walked towards her, his movement along the stone floor more of a glide than step and pulled his cloak off of his head. He was middle-aged, by Minbari standards, the smallest of wrinkles beginning to accent his white skin, his eyes held three lifetimes worth of concerns and his face displayed the slightest smile.
"Nerol," she addressed him, adding the slightest bow of her head in respect, someone who had devoted, as much of their life as he had to the service of the Anla'Shok deserved nothing less.
"How are you Natalie?" He asked, referring to her casually. He had meant this young woman when she had first come to the Ranger compound. Quite often, he recounted to her the story of how she looked so lost on her first day here and how he had helped her find her way. Since then, he looked at her almost in the same way he looked at his three daughters.
She thought for a moment, on the word that would most accurately describe how best to describe her mood in the most politically correct way. "Anxious," she decided on with a conceding smile. "But aside from the obvious, as good as to be expected I suppose. Just wanting answers more than anything."
Nerol nodded, feeling sympathy for her situation, having been kept waiting for such a long period of time, her future hangings in the balance. "It is those answers I have been sent to give you." He extended an arm, gesturing down an adjoining corridor, lined with windows that the sun shown brightly through. The two began walking, side by side, as Nerol continued. "It seems Natalie that you are in a great deal of trouble."
Her heart froze and she stopped walking, a cold expression on her face. It seemed to be as she had feared and she prepared herself to hear the news from Nerol's mouth. Though it would not be the first time she would have to deal with disappointment, she did feel that it would be the hardest. "They voted against me?" Though she realized that their vote was not as black and white as being for or against her, that was the way she saw it.
Nerol stopped as well and smiled gently, somewhat soothing her when she saw it. "On the contrary my dear girl." She gave a quizzical look, not understanding what was being said. "Though they are still not pleased with the loss of civilian life, it is the determination of the council that there was no way the people onboard that ship could have been saved and that your actions, in pursuing the Drahk, though reckless and dangerous, were in the spirit of the Anla'Shok and have commended you and your crew for your bravery and determination in the face of overwhelming odds."
To say Natalie Johnson was surprised would have been an understatement. Though relieved, she still thought about the people who had died onboard that transport. When they returned, she had gone through the crew and passenger manifest, memorizing their names and faces, vowing not to make such a failure again if she was ever given another opportunity to command a ship. Relieved as she was that her career was not over, she still did not understand something. "So, how do you get that I'm in trouble? Am I not going to return to command of White Star 80?"
"To define the trouble you are in," Nerol paused, searching for the proper words as he saw in Natalie's face that she wanted him to get to the point and patience was one of the virtues he had tried to teach this young lady. "No, you will not be returning to command of White Star 80, instead," Nerol abruptly stopped.
"Nerol," Natalie said, annoyed with the little games Nerol seemed to take pleasure in playing on her. "Out with it."
Seeing she was not amused, Nerol dropped the lesson in patience and continued to the point. "Instead, they have promoted you." She was now stunned to silence and she once again looked to him for more of an explanation. He resumed his walk down the corridor, Johnson closely behind, still a great deal confused. "Recent conflicts have left the Anla'Shok with a shortage of the type of commanding officer that we desire to have on our larger vessels. All of our commanders are more than capable of carrying out their duties and successfully commanding their ships; but few are looked upon in the light that those such as the heroes of the Shadow War were." He stopped and looked down into her eyes, seeing that she still did not totally understand. "Stories of your actions against the Drahk squadrons are being whispered by both new recruits and experienced Rangers alike. Not only are you capable and skilled but many of those who you would command look upon you with reverence and though such things are not encouraged among the Anla'Shok, we cannot deny that it happens."
Resuming their walk yet again, he concluded. "As such Natalie, a shuttle is waiting to escort you to your new ships where your crew is beginning final diagnostic and preparations for departure. The council has ordered that you depart as soon as you are able for a patrol mission. Though we are currently at peace, the council believes that vigilance on our part will be the best way to maintain it."
Natalie could not decide whether she was more stunned when she thought the council had voted against or now that it seemed they were promoting her near to the status of hero. "Nerol, of all the questions I should be asking, I think I really only have one –" Nerol cut her off, knowing without a doubt in his mind what the question would be.
"The battle cruiser Night's Eye."
"A cruiser?" Though they were being constructed with vigor, there were still only a handful of the An'Shaka' class battle cruisers in service. She could hardly believe that she had earned the right to captain one of these fine vessels over others who were surely far more qualified and had been waiting a great deal longer for their opportunity.
"Well we couldn't very well give someone so young command of one of the new destroyers," the two of them laughed lightly at his joke but he quickly became serious again. "You are ready Natalie. You are one of the most gifted Rangers I have met and I have met a great many in my years of service. You will do the Alliance proud."
Natalie said nothing else as they continued towards the landing pad where her shuttle waited, simply accepting the new path she had been given and preparing herself for the new challenges she would certainly face.
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ADMIRAL BARNES' OFFICE; BABYLON 5JANUARY 6, 2272, 05:20 EST
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Finishing his conversation with General Pack, Jerry Barnes turned his chair back towards his desk and away from the communications monitor located on the wall behind it. The General had reacted in precisely the manner Barnes predicted, or feared that he would. In short, Pack, the whole of Earth Force HQ and President Luchenko were screaming for the blood of whoever it was that had destroyed the Seventh Fleet. Barnes, still developing a plan of action in his mind, told them that the Alliance was assuming operational authority on this matter and that he would brief them once he had fully developed their plan of action. Though Pack was less than pleased with that response, he had accepted it.
Barnes had spoken with the General seconds after his conversation with Sheridan had ended. His words with the President had been brief, making sure they each knew what the other knew and the President ordering Barnes to immediately but cautiously begin an investigation as to the loss of the other ships. The President was understandably shaken at hearing of the deaths of so many people and worried at what he knew this meant for the Alliance. The way in which Sheridan closed the conversation stuck with Barnes and he felt it would for sometime. "Admiral, we're going to find who did this, then you and Vice Admiral Taylor are going to go get them." Barnes had acknowledged what the President said with only a nod as the transmission ended.
With five minutes before he was due to meet with Rourke and his adjutant, Vice Admiral Michael Taylor, Barnes picked through the stacks of black folders on his desk, searching for one he had discarded into an unorganized stack the night before. Finding an opening it, he reviewed the data contained inside, the current strength of their forces, current deployments and progress updates from all of their shipyards. He had spent a great deal of time over the past few days studying and familiarizing himself with that information but felt it important to review it again. Setting the folder aside but leaving it open, he pulled and opened another, this containing a summary of the military strengths of the Alliance member worlds.
Between their own forces and those of the member worlds, the Alliance could wield a most impressive force if fully deployed; there however, was where the problem lay. With a lack of major conflicts in the past few months, most of the member worlds and the Alliance itself had taken the opportunity to lick their wounds, sending a great number of ships back to shipyards for repairs and refits, leaving only small portions of their fleets devoted to peace time border patrol and peacekeeping missions. The estimates he had completed only a week before showed that, in the event a full mobilization was necessary, it would take a minimum of seven weeks to deploy their forces, seven weeks in which a handful of ships could be all that stood between them and a well-armed enemy fleet. Though the size and capabilities of those who destroyed the Seventh Fleet were a mystery to him, Barnes was forced to believe that they would be more adequately prepared for a conflict than the Alliance currently was.
Putting aside his folders and the thoughts of war, Barnes thought of the Seventh Fleet and those who went down with it. He had met General Deming on Mars five years ago, shortly after the battle with the Drahk over Earth when the General was in command of the Fourth Tactical Response Wing, one of the main Earth units participating in the battle. Even though they did not know each other well, Barnes would not hesitate to say that Deming was a good man who cared deeply about Earth, having sacrificed much in the service of his home.
Barnes sighed, thinking of all those like Deming who had make the ultimate sacrifice in service of Earth. There were times when he wondered why he had survived so much, the Minbari War, the Civil War, Wallace's insurrection, the Telepath War, the Drahk crisis and countless others, when so many people had lost their lives. At times he thought he was part of a grand plan while other times he felt as though he were simply lucky. Regardless of which option was correct, he did not debate the outcome.
The door to his office slid open, taking him away from his thoughts and returning his focus to the tasks at hand as Julia Rourke and Vice Admiral Michael Taylor, second in command of the Army of Light, stepped into his office. Barnes exchanged casual greetings with the two of them and asked Taylor, who had arrived on the station only two days before, if he had settled in and then gestured for the two of them to sit. Though the command structure he and President Sheridan had designed for the ISA military was a great deal larger, consisting of advisors from most of the member worlds, Barnes considered these two, his long time comrades, to be his inner circle and most trusted colleagues for making command decisions.
"Mike, I assume Julia has brought you up to speed on the current situation?" Barnes asked, getting the meeting rolling. Though they had met dozens of times, planning the formation of the Alliance military, this was one of their first official meetings where real decisions were being made.
Taylor nodded, the overhead lights glistening off his shaved head. "She's briefed me on everything we know about the destruction of the Seventh Fleet and the events leading up to it."
"Which isn't much," Rourke added.
"We need a plan of action." Barnes continued. "President Sheridan has ordered that we begin investigating the matter immediately and prepare a response scenario in the event he feels one is justified." There was a momentary pause from the Admiral as he took a breath. "I've also spoken with General Pack and Earth is demanding an immediate response as soon as we find out who is responsible for this."
"And naturally so," Taylor commented. "I think any of us in the same situation as Earth Force would be screaming for retribution as well. We just have to be careful with how we proceed in making that response."
Barnes agreed. "Given the current state of our forces, what tactical options could we deploy quickly?" Barnes of course had already formulated several options in his mind but wanted the input of his advisors as well.
"As you ordered Admiral, elements of the White Star Fleet are already en-route to create a blockade around the sector where the Seventh Fleet was lost," Taylor chimed in. "Our quickest response scenario would be to use those forces in whatever retaliatory strike we chose to launch against those who destroyed the Earth ships." Taylor's voice carried a no nonsense tone in it. Though he felt the same as Barnes did regarding the quick and sudden loss of so many lives, he refused to allow his emotions to get in the way of carrying out his job.
"We need more information before we begin to consider any sort of action." Barnes looked to Rourke. "What kind of information do we have on that sector of space?"
"Little to nothing," Julia answered. "The fact of it is, that sector and those around it on the other side of Vorlon territory have simply been overlooked the past several years. Most explorations have concentrated on the parts of Vorlon territory we have access to and moving outward toward the rim. Earth was the first to send a ship towards any of those sectors in the past six years."
"Six years?" Taylor inquired.
The Assistant Director of Intelligence checked through the notes she had earlier compiled on those areas of space. "In late 2265, the Drazi sent a small expedition into an area of space a few light years from where the Seventh was lost. They lost contact with them but the ship was seventeen years old and it was presumed to have been due to systems failure. Afterwards, none of the other governments felt the cost of sending an expedition to explore those sectors would be worth it."
"Until Earth began this new exploration project." Barnes commented. Pieces to the puzzle of why they had never encountered anyone from that area of space were beginning to come together. After all, if those who destroyed the Seventh did not wish to make contact with anyone, it would have been easy enough for them to hide, where no one would think to be looking for them. Barnes did not understand though why they would respond so aggressively to an encroachment into their territory without first trying to determine whether or not it had intentionally been a hostile act. "But why attack the Columbus?" The Admiral questioned. "These people destroyed an Earth fleet in a matter of minutes, that means they must have significant technology, they must have been able to tell that an Explorer class ship would be no threat to them."
"What if they didn't care that it wasn't a threat to them?" Taylor's question and the theory implied with it was a haunting one for his two comrades that heard it and for him as well. "What if all they cared about was the fact that a ship was trespassing in their territory and they didn't stand for it? Then, after that ship is destroyed, another arrives and then an entire fleet. They may have simply seen it as defending their territory."
"I suppose there's something to be said for their method of defense then," Rourke added. Barnes and Taylor both looked towards her for an explanation, knowing she meant something aside from the obvious. "Think about it, in destroying that fleet they've caused us to completely seal off that sector, preventing even Earth from sending more ships in there. They might see the destruction of the Seventh Fleet as nothing more than a warning to those who would trespass in their territory."
"Then we must respond to show them we will not be intimidated." Barnes spoke with a fire in his voice. He could find no fault in the logic of Rourke's assumption and the fact that someone would kill thousands simply as a warning against trespass angered him. He quickly reached to his desk and snatched the folder from earlier, containing the strengths and deployments of the Army of Light forces. "I want to immediately dispatch the Third, Eighth and Fourteenth destroyer groups to reinforce our positions near that sector."
"Admiral, moving the Victory and her wing off the Narn/Centauri border will significantly decrease our presence in that area." Taylor had taken the time during his trip from Earth to study in detail the positioning of their forces along with the political and diplomatic situations between the various powers, wanting to be as prepared for his job as possible when he arrived on Babylon 5. "The situation along that border has been pretty tense as of late. Two weeks ago, a Centauri cruiser took pot shots at a Narn transport ship that crossed into their territory as the result of a navigational error. Eight days ago, two Narn patrol cutters destroyed a Centauri attack ship that got too close to one of their listening posts."
"Director Halloran tells me that the ambassadors to the Centauri Republic are doing a good enough job of keeping the situation from breaking out into a full-scale match," Julia picked up where Taylor had left off. "But there's no telling how long they'll be able to do so. It might be now that the only thing keeping the peace is the presence of our ships along the border. The Narns know we won't tolerate any sort of an attack against the Centauri and the Centauri don't want to get into a war with us by attacking the Narns."
Barnes conceded that the situation was one of tension but he did not feel it was as critical as the other situation they faced. "We'll still have three squadrons of White Stars and two cruisers along the border, that's more than enough firepower and, we all know that if either the Narns or the Centauri want badly enough to attack the other, the presence of our ships won't discourage them, no matter how great their numbers." Taylor and Rourke both agreed that the Admiral was correct on this point; the Narns and Centauri seemed to have one-track minds when it came to fighting each other. "Once they arrive," Barnes continued laying out his plan of action. "I want them to begin launching long-range probed into where the Seventh was lost and the neighboring sectors. I want to see if we can locate any inhabited planets, bases, ships, anything; try to gather as much information as possible. Then we start formulating a plan for a counterattack." Barnes anger subsided as he focused on his task at hand. "In the meantime, we have to consider our defense if whatever forces we are now confronted by chose to launch another attack."
"Babylon 5 should be our top priority the next several days," Taylor suggested. "With the ceremony where you will be sworn in scheduled to take place, this station will be swarming with military leaders, diplomats and the President and First Lady. It's a prime target." Barnes, hating to be reminded of the ceremony yet again, admitted that Taylor was right.
Barnes stood, nervously taking a few steps to the left of his desk, almost biting his nails. Though Babylon 5 had proven several times that it could hold up in a fight, Barnes still did not like the idea of it being attacked. The concept of defending a stationary target against a well armed, highly mobile attack force was one that his tactics lessons at the academy always taught him to avoid. "I'll be speaking with military leaders from many of the member worlds today, I'll convince them to lend additional ships to the defense of Babylon 5 for the next few weeks. We also need to get all of the ships escorting those leaders here under well-armed escort, using whatever forces we have available to us to do so."
"Jerry, there's always the Master Contingency Response Plan," Julia suggested. "If the President were to invoke it, that would allow us to easily deploy the defenses we need and keep them deployed for as long as needed."
She referred the plan they had designed in the event that the Alliance found itself in another full-scale war. The plan, which had been recently approved by the Advisory Council, stated in simple terms that, under orders from the President, all military forces of the member worlds would be placed under command of Admiral Barnes and his staff. While their own command structures would still exist, they would report and be answerable to the Army of Light command. The purpose of this, to prevent another disaster such as the one that ended the Centauri War in 2262 and remove the difficulty of making the member worlds work together in combat situations.
"I don't think it's come to that," Barnes offered his opinion, sitting back down. "Not yet at least." They had designed the plan in hopes that it would never have to be used and in the event it did, only in cases where the whole of the Alliance was in imminent danger or in a state of war, though they were faced with a potentially deadly enemy, Barnes did not believe those criteria had been met. "Let's not rule out the option though, it may well come to that once we learn more about the attackers."
"Ms. Rourke, contact the heads of intelligence for the member worlds, see if they have any other information on those parts of space that may not exist in the official records you've accessed." Taylor suggested, in line with Barnes' plan to gather information before making any other decisions.
"I've already put the request in to several of the major governments and will be contacting the rest throughout the day, I doubt they'll have much to give us but anything should help."
"Indeed it will," said Barnes. "Now let's discuss –"
Barnes' link beeped, interrupting the meeting as he toggled it on. "Barnes, go."
"Admiral, this is Captain Lochley, I've got the C'Les Ambassador in my office; he's saying he needs to speak with you immediately, it's about the Seventh Fleet."
Barnes shared a glance of curiosity with both Taylor and Rourke before he replied. "I'll be there shortly." Whatever the C'Les knew, Barnes was anxious to learn it as well. Since he had helped make first contact with the C'Les nine years ago, he had always been impressed with the level of knowledge they seemed to have about any given situation. "Get to work, we'll meet again later today," he said as Taylor and Rourke followed his departure from the office.
***
"Admiral."
"Captain."
Lochley and Barnes both gave a quick acknowledgement to each other as the Admiral came through the open door to her office. In front of the Captain's desk, C'Les Ambassador, standing seven and half feet tall and draped in gray robes that bore red, orange and blue ceremonial marking. The C'Les, though almost on par with the Minbari in terms of technology, seemed to prefer to keep their lives simple with even the diplomats and leaders of their society covering themselves in robes similar to those used by the rest of their people, with the exception of some modest decoration. Not even their military had any sort of distinguishing clothing. The hood of his robe covered his face, a normal custom with them when among others not of their race.
"Mr. Ambassador," Barnes said respectfully. "A pleasure to see you again." Barnes was sure there was some sort of diplomatic formality he was forgetting at this point but wanted to skip to the point as quickly as possible.
"Indeed Admiral, it has been far too long since last our paths crossed," the Ambassador returned the respect Barnes had shown him and dipped his head slightly to the Admiral.
Barnes then remembered the last time he had seen this particular C'Les, the one with whom he had helped to negotiate the first treaty between them and the Alliance. It has been four years ago, shortly after Barnes had resigned from Earth Force and had arrived on Minbar to begin serving as a military advisor to President Sheridan. When the White Star transporting him landed, the Ambassador waited on the landing platform. When Barnes asked what he was doing there, stating that only Sheridan and a few others knew he was coming, the Ambassador stated, "Be wary of where your path leads you and do not always take the obvious route." He left then and Barnes had not seen him since. Now, those words echoed in his memory.
"Mr. Ambassador," Captain Lochley broke the uneasy silence that had settled over the room following the greetings exchanged by the two. "Please tell Admiral Barnes what you were telling me a few minutes ago."
"The loss of the Earth Seventh Fleet," the raspy voice of the C'Les began. "Is but the first link in a long chain of events. A great darkness is waking Admiral, a darkness you must prepare for, one we must all prepare for. A darkness that if left unchecked, will burn the galaxy."
Barnes responded, confused by the words of the less than clear Ambassador. "You're saying that if we don't stop whoever destroyed the Seventh Fleet, they'll destroy the galaxy?" Barnes, direct in his question, was hoping for a similar answer from the Ambassador.
The Ambassador lowered his head, his glowing blue eyes closing momentarily before he again looked upon Barnes. "Fix not your gaze where it is required least Admiral." With Barnes not knowing how to respond, the Ambassador said nothing else and left the room, his step a fluid glide.
Barnes shot a quizzical look to Lochley who simply shrugged in response. "He told me the same thing. At first I wasn't even going to call you but he insisted that you hear what he had to say."
Barnes sighed. "I wish he wouldn't be so damned mysterious, just come out and say what he knows."
"He may not know anything else." Lochley rebutted.
"What do you mean?" Barnes asked.
The Captain of Babylon 5 returned to her chair, arms resting on her desk. "He told me that it comes from one of their ancient prophecies, saying that a great darkness will awake and burn the universe if an alliance of planets does not stand against it."
Now it was beginning to make sense. "The Prophecies of C'Lem'Es," Barnes commented, knowing something about them from his dealings with the C'Les. "They're not just ancient prophecies Elizabeth, they're the foundation that everything in the C'Les society is based on. Their religion, government, everything is based off the teachings of someone who predates all of their other recorded history. His prophecies, have accurately predicted everything that has happened throughout the history of the C'Les, including the situations of their first contact with the Alliance and everything that has happened since, depending upon the interpretation of course."
Lochley leaned back, relaxing as much as she could under the circumstances. "Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be a long day?" She commented. A priority transmission from Earth Force had gotten her out of bed near the same time when Rourke had done so with Barnes.
"Tell me about it," Barnes agreed, tiredly taking a chair on the other side of her desk. For a brief moment, each of them looked into the eyes of their longtime friend, no words being said. Though they had been acquaintances for many years, Barnes and Lochley had gotten to know each other well after the missions of the EAS Dark Thunder seemed to find their way to Babylon 5 more often and had become even closer when Barnes began to build the Army of Light command on the station.
"Well," the Admiral said with a deep breath as he rubbed the pain that continued in his temple. "I have a good deal of work to do, I'm sure you do also."
"Yeah," Lochley raised her eyebrows and surveyed the stacks of paperwork that had accumulated on her desk. "I doubt waste management and power consumption reports are as important as the work you'll be doing but I suppose somebody has to do it or it might never get done."
"Heard and understood Captain."
***
He ran, looking behind him with every step as he charged through the abandoned section of what was affectionately termed 'Down Below'. He knew it was close behind him and that he had to escape if he was to survive. He ran faster and faster, sweat poring from every part of his body, hoping desperately to escape his wrath. In his business, he was quite used to clients being disappointed when he failed to deliver on a promise but this was one client he regretted he had allowed himself to disappoint. He feared it would be his last regret.
Rounding the corner, it felt as though a great blast of steel impacted against his face. He was flung backwards by the force and, as the bitter taste of blood appeared in his mouth, he knew the chase was over and he had lost.
"You have failed!" The demonic voice boomed in his mind. He covered his ears, hoping to block the sound but to no avail.
"I tried!" He screamed in response, spitting the blood from his mouth in doing so. "I tried to do what you asked!" He struggled to his feet and quickly ran in the opposite direction, only to be struck again and thrown back to the ground. "I tried!" He insisted as he was struck again; thrown violently against a wall, blood splattering on the ground. He trembled with fear, desperately wanting to try and run again but unable to fill his legs.
"You are aware of the penalties of failure!" The voice in his mind again boomed. There was no time for him to reply. He grasped his head, feeling as though there were a great burning inside of it and cried for mercy. The agony was unbearable, beyond anything he had experienced in his life; lasting for the entire fifteen minutes it took him to die.
Afterwards, his killer subsided into the darkness. Though this plan had failed, there would be other opportunities. Not that this plan had to succeed, the one person was insignificant and could not hope to stop them, only delay them. There was still time however. Though their time was drawing increasingly near, there was still much preparation to be done and this preparation was to be done elsewhere.
***
Commander David Corwin energetically reported for his morning shift in Command & Control a full five minutes early. Though his fellow officers often asked him why he didn't explore other assignments now available in the Army of Light, he could think of no better assignment than being the first office of this station. Amidst various greetings from the rest of the C&C staff, Corwin logged onto his console and began his morning routine of checking through the scheduled list of arrivals and departures for the day. As he anticipated, the former far outweighed the latter today and for the next several days, with dozens of diplomatic and military personnel arriving for the ceremony where Admiral Barnes would be sworn in.
Taking his first look at the stars today, Corwin thought he saw something. He pressed several controls on his console, changing the display screen from the docking schedule to that of the master sensor display and ran a full scan with every sensor in the station's array on the area of space in front of him. Whatever it was had disappeared from site and the sensors were not reading anything.
Taking notice of the first officer's unusual behavior, Lieutenant Jeffries, a newly assigned officer to C&C stepped next to him. "Something wrong Commander?" The Lieutenant asked casually.
Corwin grimaced, considering for a moment the possibility that he was seeing things. It was early in the morning and he hadn't yet indulged in a cup of coffee. "Have we had any ships leave this morning?" Corwin asked. He did not want to let on that he may be seeing things but also could not simply put aside what he believed he saw.
"No sir, not yet."
Damn. Corwin thought. Maybe he was just seeing things or maybe the sensors were wrong. He made a mental note to order a routine diagnostic on them later on the in the day but for now, felt it best to return to his duties, with all the V.I.P. arrivals, this would inevitably be a busy day. "Very good Lieutenant, thank you." Jeffries returned to his duties, curious about the XO's somewhat unusual activities but knowing better than to make an issue of it.
Before he returned to looking at today's schedule, Corwin looked one more time to the stars. He saw a late amongst them fade and focused on it, trying to convince himself that it had simply been a star whose last light had faded but something inside him knew better. There had been something out there. Whatever it was, another mystery to add to the collection from his years onboard Babylon 5.
"Commander," Jeffries who had come up behind him pulled Corwin away from his work. He turned to see the young man had a startled look on his face, one that bordered on sheer panic. "You'd better come take a look at this."
Turning around fully to face the aft part of C&C, Corwin saw the rest of the staff gathered around a monitor on the wall. Wanting to see what was urgent enough to pull every officer away from their post, Corwin pushed his way into them, gaining a position from which he could see the screen. As was usual in the mornings, the feed from ISN was being shown. It was kept on for the first few hours of the morning shift more as tradition than anything else, few paid great attention to it. Yet as he watched and listened to the familiar anchorwoman delivering the report, he understood why it had garnered such attention this morning.
"This news is just coming in from our sources and we'll be bringing you every detail we receive as it develops, as well as trying to get some official statement from senior Earth Force officials as to the authenticity of the information. To recap for those of you just joining us, sources inside Earth Force HQ are telling ISN that all contact has been lost with the Earth Force Seventh Fleet while it was conducting operations in the Unknown Regions and it is presumed that the fleet has been destroyed."
Corwin needed to here nothing else and stepped away from the screen. He keyed his link; calling one of the few people on this station he would be able to get some straight information from. Captain Lochley responded and advised she would meet with him in her office in five minutes. Commander Corwin knew those minutes would take a considerable time to pass.