************** CHAPTER TWO ****************
DREADNOUGHT NRS R'TAL; ORBIT OF NARN HOME WORLDJANUARY 6, 2272, 08:57 EST
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Warleader Na'Goth strode purposefully through the dark corridors of the Bin'Tak class dreadnought R'Tal. Work crews who had been assigned to the ship for the past several weeks were clearing the corridors now, with most of the refits to the aging, yet still formidable Narn warship were now complete and its new systems online, including gravitic engines and artificial gravity as well as a host of new weapon and tactical systems. Now all that was needed as to test them and what a plan Na'Goth had for that test.
To say it had been difficult to convince the Kha'Ri of his plan would be an understatement of epic proportions. When he had first proposed the plan three months earlier, he had all but been laughed at. In time however, through a delicate series of maneuvers and political dealing, they were soon ready to go along with him. Now, all was almost prepared to launch what he believed would redefine the Narns as a power in the universe.
The door to his cabin slid open and he sat upon his bed. The cabin was spartan in its accommodation and decorations, which was precisely the way Na'Goth preferred it. He did not feel luxuries were necessary, having endured years as a slave to the Centauri before his race rose against them and drove them from the home world. He had never known luxury during his life and felt no need to indulge in such things now that they were free. The light sources of the room were two red and orange lights, his bed was a simple steel bunk welded onto the wall. The walls, floor and ceiling were unpainted and uncovered, their original metallic color. There were compartments cut into the walls housing his clothing and few other personal items. The only other furniture in the room was a simple stone desk and three chairs, on which sat several star charts. The cabin's only decorations consisted of his ceremonial blades that had been passed down from his father, which hung on the walls.
Na'Goth settled in at his desk to make his final review of the plans sitting upon it. His last meeting with the Kha'Ri was this morning, where they had approved the final version of his plans, the plans in which, as he had stated to them, everything Narn had lost would be returned to it. It had long been a dream of his that the Narn Regime would return to the power and size it was before the war of 2259. Now, that dream was about to become a reality. To that end, he turned towards the Centauri.
Information that had come to the Narns over the past year suggested that the Centauri fleet and indeed the whole Republic, would be vulnerable to a well timed and laid out strike. To that end, he had assembled every Narn warship not devoted to defensive duties at their main shipyard over the home world to be refitted and repaired for the campaign of reclamation against the Centauri. Having spent the past months planning every intricate detail of the attack, Na'Goth planned to move in two weeks.
The maps on the stone slab in front of him clearly detailed the path they would take. The campaign, he estimated, against the Centauri would take more than three months to accomplish all of its goals of regaining Narn territory lost to the Centauri throughout the various years of conflict. They had begun the process during and immediately following the war of 2262 but foolishly abandoned it at the request of the Interstellar Alliance who wished that the war with the Centauri and that chapter of Alliance history come to an end.
Now, the Alliance was all that stood in his way. Several squadrons of Alliance warships sat along their border with the Centauri, waiting for either side to make a move against the other and prepared to intervene if necessary, at the heart of these squadrons, the IAS Victory the destroyer that was the namesake of its class. It was not the first of the Alliance destroyers to bear that name, the original having been destroyed over Earth in the battle against the Drahk. Na'Goth had been there with the R'Tal, having jumped to Earth when the Alliance had called for any ship within range to aid in its defense.
That was but one battle in the R'Tal's long and distinguished history of service to the Regime. It had been one of the first Narn warships commissioned in early 2259, a direct response to the Centauri attacks that occurred in late '58. Going straight from the shipyard to action, it engaged several Centauri battle squadrons in reprisal for the destruction of the Narn outpost in Quadrant 37. It then drove several groups of raiders from Narn territory, crippling several of their command ships and destroying a base hidden inside an asteroid belt. As open war had broke out with the Centauri, the R'Tal led the early Narn advances into Centauri space and the later defensive actions as the enemy forces pushed them back into Narn space. One of Na'Goth's greatest regrets remained the fact that he was unable to bring his ship into battle with the Centauri over home world when they attacked, the dreadnought being disabled only days before in a battle against a Centauri cruiser group. He always felt that, had he been there, he could have done something to prevent the destruction of their world.
Fate it seemed had a certain plan for him however. After the end of the war, he was able to repair the R'Tal with the help of other Narn warships that survived and helped to rally those few surviving ships to plan to retake home world and ultimately in the war against the Shadows. He fought in the Battle of Sector 83 and the Battle of Corianus 6, as well as several delaying actions against Shadow and Vorlon forces. With the war over and the Narn Regime restored, he devoted the R'Tal to the protection of home world and the colonies they regained until later that year when his government elected to support Sheridan's war against Earth. The R'Tal then joined ships from Earth and other races in destroying that planet's defensive grid, the power of which was about to be unleashed upon the helpless planet.
What he believed to have been their finest hour came next. When the Centauri broke away from the Alliance in 2263, the Narns found themselves again engaged in a war with their archenemies. His ship joined the assault by the joint Narn and Drazi taskforce against Centauri Prime. He could not help but feel justice was done as he watched the heavy lasers from his ship carve into the surface of the planet, only to be stopped by the arrival of Sheridan and his forces.
In the years since then, he had continued to drive raiders, pirates and Drahk from Narn space and provide assistance to other Alliance worlds in their battles with the allies of the Shadows. Yet, even though he aided them whenever possible, his efforts to rebuild the Regime were constantly hampered by the Interstellar Alliance with its rules and principles. This time however, they would not have a chance to interfere. He had designed their plan of attack to slip past the Alliance warships on the border and into Centauri territory with a low probability of detection. If all went as planned, the Victory and the rest of the Army of Light ships would not know about the attack until the first Centauri planet fell to their advance.
Experience though, had taught him not to underestimate Captain Edward MacDonald, master of the Victory. Though he had only encountered the Captain on two prior occasions, both when he served under Jerry Barnes onboard the EAS Dark Thunder, he had learned that he was a formidable opponent. MacDonald though, was not merely a clever human; he was a warrior with the heart of such. During their last engagement, four years prior, he had told MacDonald that, were he not human, he surely would have been born a Narn. MacDonald did not seem to recognize the compliment he had been given.
As he marked the last known location of the Victory and its battle group on his chart, a pounding on his door resonated throughout the modestly sized room. He rose from his chair, barking that he was coming, made his way to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side, his newly assigned weaponry officer, stationed to Na'Goth's command fresh from his military training. Though he had not yet memorized the young Narn's name, he had been most impressed with his skills as a gunner as well as his ability see a situation from a tactical standpoint.
"Warleader," the Narn addressed him formally, his voice robust. "Something is happening, something you should see."
***
Na'Goth entered the tactical planning room to see several of his senior staff as well as his other fleet commanders standing near the map table which displayed a computer-generated map of the Narn/Centauri border, the areas surrounding it and real-time information on ship movements in those areas as it came in from their listening posts. The young officer who had summoned him stepped aside as Na'Goth approached the table and looked to one of his senior starship commanders that was nearby.
"Warleader," the Narn Captain's deep voice growled as he spoke. "One of our listening posts on the border monitored this one hour ago," he reported with a gesture towards the computer display. "They verified the information with two other listening posts and a scout ship to make sure it was correct before they relayed it."
As the Warleader watched the images move, he soon understood why they had gone to such lengths to verify what he was seeing. The images displayed were clear, the Victory and its battle group had moved off the border and into hyperspace, probes tracking it on a course for Earth Alliance territory. The departure of these forces left only three squadrons of the Alliance's White Star assault ships along with two strike cruisers on their border with the Centauri.
"Do we know why the Victory has pulled away from the border?" The Warleader questioned.
"No Warleader, only that the orders came on a highly secure frequency from the Army of Light command on Babylon 5 not long before the destroyer departed. They are proceeding at maximum speed, whatever it may be is no doubt of the utmost urgency."
The opportunity presented by this did not go unnoticed to Na'Goth as his lips curled in the closest thing to a smile he had managed in a great deal of time. "G'Kan," he addressed his senior fleet commander who stood immediately to his left. "How long before the fleet can be prepared to move out?"
Though G'Kan had anticipated this particular response from the Warleader, he had hoped Na'Goth would not have acted so impulsively. "Warleader, the fleet cannot be fully prepared to leave space dock for another two weeks at best. Though it is unfortunate that they cannot be ready sooner, we must strike when all of our forces are prepared."
Na'Goth would not hear it, he knew the opportunity fate had presented him with would not last forever and it was an opportunity he could not let pass. The longer it would take the Alliance to respond to his attacks, the further into Centauri territory he would be. "How many of our ships and ground forces will be ready to depart for battle within the next twelve hours?"
G'Kan keyed a control that brought up displays detailing the exact ships and ground divisions that could be prepared within the timeframe allotted by the Warleader. "Eighty percent of our ships and sixty-five percent of our ground forces can be fully prepared and armed for battle within the time but I most protest if you are planning to launch are attack prematurely." Seeing the look that had crept into Na'Goth's eyes, he continued his protest with even greater fervor. "Warleader! All of our ships are necessary to ensure the success of your plan and our victory against the Centauri! We must not attack prematurely!"
"The decision had been made G'Kan and I would thank you to not challenge my authority again," Na'Goth hissed at the younger Captain. He then turned to the officer who had summoned him here. "Issue orders to all of our forces, any ship ready to depart within twelve hours leaves with us. All others will stay behind to defend home world, our colonies and reinforce us once they are ready."
"At once Warleader!" The Narn enthusiastically acknowledged the order as he rushed to carry it out.
"Return to your ships," Na'Goth ordered, addressing his fleet commanders that had assembled. He now felt the hand of destiny upon his shoulder, guiding him in a singular direction, a direction that would lead him through fire into the heart of the Centauri Republic. "Prepare them for war."
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ALLIANCE COUNCIL CHAMBERS; BABYLON 5JANUARY 6, 2272, 09:25 EST
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A mass of reporters from ISN and other planetary networks had quickly assembled in the Interstellar Alliance Council Chambers on Babylon 5. The announcement had come only five minutes before that Jerry Barnes would shortly be making a statement on the loss of the Seventh Fleet, the first official statement to come out of the Alliance or Earth Dome. This announcement prompted a frenzy of speculation ranging from what remarks Barnes might make to why Barnes was the one making the first statement on these events. As one reporter had commented, "Though Jerry Barnes is soon to be sworn into his position as commander of the Army of Light, he hasn't been sworn in yet and hence, is not in a position to be addressing such a critical issue."
Barnes hated reporters, for many reasons but particularly for the fact that they never seemed to totally understand the complexities of how most things worked. It was no secret to most that while his command of the Army of Light was not yet official in ceremony; it had been in practice for some time. Though he did not yet have authority over the forces of the member worlds, he had been making command decisions for the forces of the Interstellar Alliance for some time now.
The process had been slow at first, beginning in early 2268 when Barnes arrived on Minbar, to begin serving as an advisor to President Sheridan. Throughout the years, as Barnes worked with Sheridan, Corwin and other to develop the Army of Light into a larger organization, he had begun taking on some command responsibilities. Small responsibilities at first, selecting crews for starships, space stations and planetary installations, advising the Rangers on patrol deployment of their forces and other such duties. Over time, his role expanded to what it was now, making the majority of command decisions for the Alliance forces with input from the President, Advisory Board, the Anla'Shok Council and his own staff.
From the corridor adjacent to the council chambers, Barnes peaked inside the room. It was a fluster with activity as the mass of reporters continued to speak to the cameras as a way of filling time while waiting for Barnes' remarks. For someone who was not in a position to be addressing such an issue, everyone seemed to have a great interest in what Barnes would be saying. Taking a deep breath, Barnes stepped inside and walked to the podium in the middle of the room as the reporters came to a dead silence after announcing his arrival.
The podium he stood at was positioned directly in front of a large banner bearing the seals of the Interstellar Alliance and the Army of Light. Attached to the front of the logo was a placard of the Army of Light emblem emblazoned over that of the Interstellar Alliance. Setting his notes under the light of the podium and clearing his throat, Barnes began his first of what was sure to be many public relations missions.
"Good morning," he said, his voice not noticeably displaying discomfort with the situation. He ignored the bright lights focused on him and the gentle yet annoying sound of the recorders as he continued readings from his notes. "I'll have a few brief remarks and if there's time I'll try to answer one or two of your questions. In response to the story that was reported on ISN earlier today, what you have heard is true." There was a gasp of realization and a low barrage of whispers as the assembled press realized what Barnes had said. "Approximately three-thirty this morning, Earth Standard Time, Earth Force HQ lost contact with the Seventh Fleet that was conducting search and rescue operations in a previously unexplored sector. The fleet was deployed after contact was lost with a destroyer who was searching the system for an Explorer class ship that contact was also lost with. Earth Force will be releasing the names of the ships as well as contacting the family members of their crews in the coming days." Barnes paused, taking a sip of water from a glass underneath the podium. Though he was keeping to the facts, he could not block the emotional response speaking of so much death provoked.
"This morning, President Luchenko contacted President Sheridan and asked for the assistance of the Interstellar Alliance in conducting an investigation into the loss of the Seventh Fleet. After consultation with President Sheridan this morning, I advised Earth Force General William Pack that the Interstellar Alliance, most specifically the Army of Light, would be assuming full operational authority on this matter." Barnes knew in saying that he would open up the Alliance to another series of attacks from political commentators screaming that they were taking too heavy a hand with the member worlds but he cared more about the facts and less about being politically correct at this point.
"My staff and I, in cooperation with the Earth Alliance and other member worlds have begun an investigation into this matter as well as taking steps to ensure the safety of Earth Alliance territory and the rest of the Interstellar Alliance. We will bring you any information we can release when we can release it. I ask that everyone remain calm and patient as we search for those responsible for this horrific event. My thoughts, condolences and prayers also go out to all those who have family or friends onboard the Seventh Fleet, we are still hoping to find your loved ones alive, well and bring them home to you." Barnes surveyed the crowd of reporters, wishing Sheridan had not asked him to include this part, as all it could do would be to open a Pandora's Box. "Now, I'll take some of your questions," Barnes said grudgingly as he tucked his notes away, knowing they would do him no good at this point.
A barrage of loud voices and raised hands erupted as Barnes opened the floor for questions. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, he finally zeroed in on and pointed to one reporter, gesturing for them to take the first question. "Admiral Barnes," she began, addressing him using his formal title, one that was "officially" non-existent. "Can you give us anymore details on what steps you are implementing to safeguard against any further attacks from these unknown aggressors?"
An easy enough question. "I cannot go into any specifics," the Admiral replied. "I will say that elements of the White Star Fleet and military units from several of the member worlds are being strategically deployed in a defensive posture. I additionally want to make clear that there are currently no offensive strikes planned. Before we begin considering any sort of a retaliatory strike, we first want to gather information on who attacked those forces and what their motivation may have been."
Before Barnes had the opportunity to move on, the reporter asked if she could be allowed a follow-up question, Barnes granted the request. "Admiral, are these defensive deployments of the White Star Fleet related to the Victory and her battle group being moved off the Narn/Centauri border earlier this morning?"
Times like these, Barnes felt as though he needed to track down whoever it was these reporters got their information from and recruit them into the service of the Alliance. Moving the Victory off the border had not been a secret by any means, though their exact orders were, but with so few people knowing the order had been given, he had anticipated it taking slightly longer for the press to make the connection between its movement and the new deployments in response to the Seventh Fleet. Still, he did not want to give away the connection just yet. "I'm afraid I can't comment on that at the moment, next question please." Barnes said, as he gestured to another reporter, a stout human man.
"Mr. Barnes," this one was apparently one of those that subscribed to the theory of him not having any sort of an official position yet. "Is there any truth to the rumor that the loss of the Seventh Fleet was due to a sneak attack by renegade arms of Earth Force and the Minbari Warrior Caste?"
At other times, Barnes wanted to find whoever gave these reporters their information and throw them out the nearest airlock for circulating bogus theories pulled out of thin air. "No," the Admiral harshly refuted the claim. "And I would thank you to not go spreading such unsubstantiated rumors that are likely to cause undo fear and panic, something we do not need at this stage." Not allowing the man the opportunity for another question, he pointed to another reporter, an Asian woman, advising that she had the final question.
"Admiral, how do you respond to critics who say, given your record, that you are ill-suited to handle this situation?"
Barnes was caught off his guard and stood, silently contemplating how to reply to the implied attack. "Hmph … let me say something, to them, to the rest of the Alliance and to those who destroyed our ships," the tone of his voice rose as he spoke from one of uncertainty to determination. "We have been attacked, in a fierce and unprovoked manner. Whoever attacked the Seventh Fleet has done nothing short of declare war against the Interstellar Alliance. We will find out who did this," Barnes said with conviction. "And we will make them pay. I may not be the best politician or diplomat; I'm a solider. It's my job to hunt down the enemy and kill them, which is precisely what I intend to do." Barnes collected his notes and stormed out of the room, through a revived fury of questions coming at him from all sides. Not wanting to allow them the opportunity to follow him, he quickly made his way to the nearest lift and departed for his office. He still had a great deal of work to do.
*** 3 Hours Later ***
Zack Allan was no stranger to crime scenes. In his time onboard Babylon 5, he had investigated more crimes than he could easily keep track of. Though he allowed his other security officers, most quite proficient in their jobs, to investigate most minor crimes that took place on the station, an unexplained death was something that garnered his personal attention. Especially when the unexplained death involved someone station security had already been searching for.
Allan had been summoned to this section of "Down Below", a section normally thought to be abandoned, after an individual who said they had found a body approached one of his security officers. The officer followed them to this location where he discovered the body, notified the Chief and called for backup while securing the scene.
When he arrived and saw that the person murdered was none other than Jack Arem, he had the feeling that this would be no simple, ordinary investigation. Though Arem operated under the guise of a traveling merchant, he was wanted for questioning on several different worlds in reference to the assassination or attempted assassinations of government officials. Zack had received word from the Brakiri a few weeks prior that Arem was rumored to be on his way to Babylon 5. They had gone through all the normal precautions, advised officers working at customs and circulated his picture around the station, all of which produced no results. After some time of hearing nothing on him, Zack had assumed that Arem must have give the Brakiri the slip, escaping to another world while they believed him to have been headed for Babylon 5. Still, the Chief always preferred to err on the side of caution and had kept the station-wide alert for him active, believing he still might turn up at a least expected time or place.
This certainly qualified. Upon his arrival, Allan immediately began examining the scene to determine if the cause of death would be easily discernable. It was clear that Arem had taken a beating, his face and clothing was stained by dry blood, as were several of the nearby bulkheads. Zack did not doubt the blood splattered on those would be a match with Arem's once samples of both were compared. Bending at his knees to get a better view of the body, which had been found sitting against a wall, Zack could not accept that the beating he had received as the cause of death. Though he was not a medical professional, he had conducted enough murder investigations to be able to tell something about what had killed somebody. Though the beating had been severe, it seemed to have been intended more to cause him intense pain rather than kill him.
For several minutes, Zack looked around, walking from blood spot to blood spot and back to the body, trying to take himself through Arem's last steps before he died. All he could determine was the Arem had been completely overpowered by his killer. He surmised that Arem, on possibly more than one instance, tried to flee his attacker only to be struck down. From this, Zack gathered that whoever the killer was Arem was afraid of him. It was no surprise that someone in his business would make some enemies along the way, whether they be disgruntled clients or those tasked with bringing him to justice. Still, he found it difficult to believe that a cold and professional killer would be struck with panic upon being confronted by an unhappy business associate. There was something more to this. Zack could only hope that more parts of this mystery would become evident when the medical team determined the cause of death. His gut told him however, that would only lead to more questions he did not want to answer.
"What do you think Chief?" Officer Dillard, the security officer who had originally discovered the body and had been standing by since, asked in a casual yet reserved tone of voice.
Allan sighed. He was not sure what to think at the moment. The small amount of evidence available did little to answer any of the questions he had. Zack could come to only one definite conclusion. "I think we should have found this guy first. He's wanted by over six major planetary governments and as soon as they hear about this, they're likely to be screaming at the Captain, wanting an explanation on how he died meaning she's going to be screaming at us for that same explanation." The Chief again surveyed the scene. "Aside from that, I don't think this was some random act of violence, a case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time; I think he knew his killer and whoever his killer was, he was terrified of him. Aside from that," a long pause. "I don't know. There's no apparent cause of death, maybe the autopsy will give us some more results."
"I've already notified Medlab Chief, they should be here to collect the body anytime now."
"Good, keep this area sealed off until further notice, post two officers here on rotating shifts. If there's any evidence here, I want it preserved. Let me know when they've collected the body and the autopsy has begun. In the meantime," Zack had to do something he very much did not want to. "I'd better let the Captain know about this, even though this is about the last news she needs today." Though this was not likely to hit the Captain in the same way as the news of the Seventh Fleet, of which Lochley had only recently briefed Zack and Commander Corwin on, it never helped to pile bad news on top of bad news, even when the "bad news" was the death of a wanted galactic fugitive.
Allan toggled his link on and keyed the Captain's frequency.
"Lochley, go," the Captain answered, her voice already sounding fatigued.
"Captain, we've got a problem."
***
"Crap," Lochley murmured, her voice quiet yet filling with anxiety. "Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap." Captain Elizabeth Lochley had grown accustomed to receiving the occasional dose of bad news. In fact, there were times when she started to worry after going too long without receiving some bad news. On a day however when she was already weighed with the fact that Earth had been attacked and there was not a damn thing she could do about it, more bad news was the last thing she needed. "Why did this have to happen today?"
"You know around here that if our job is quiet for three weeks it's followed by four of complete and total hell." Zack's attempt to make light of the situation caused the slightest of smiles to appear on his Captain's face as she realized that he was, for the most part, correct. "You'd think the governments of all those worlds that wanted him dead would be happy by this."
"Oh they won't shed any tears over his death but, this man was responsible for eight assassinations and eleven separate attempted assassinations, they're going to want some answers about how he died and why we didn't find him on the station before whoever killed him did." Lochley realized though that Arem not being arrested would save her a significant amount of frustration. Had he been placed into custody, there would have been another political mess over which government had the most claim to extradite him.
"Do we have any idea what he might have been doing on the station?" Lochley asked, running through the list of questions she was likely to be asked a dozen times once news of this got out.
"It could have been anything," Zack answered indifferently. "Let's face it, Babylon 5 has no shortage of Ambassadors and most of them probably have no shortage of people they've pissed off throughout the years." Though Zack was not discounting any possibilities, he did have a theory he believed had more substance than the random targeting of an Ambassador. "But if you look at the timing, the ceremony for Barnes coming up in a couple of days."
Lochley nodded in silent agreement with her security chief's implication. Security preparations for the ceremony had been their utmost concern for the past several weeks. With military and political leaders throughout the Alliance converging on Babylon 5, she believed there would be those who would be too tempted by the target and try to exploit it. Furthermore, it was no secret the Jerry Barnes had made more than a few enemies in his day, some of which were still at large.
"I'm grateful for your concern, Mr. Allan," Jerry Barnes' voice, cold as steel, sounded from the back of the Captain's office. Lochley, having been focused on Zack and the new problems she was facing, had not seen him come in. Though the Captain recognized that Babylon 5 was an Alliance station and Barnes was the highest ranking Alliance officer, it was still her command and there were times when she did not want him around, especially times when discussing his safety as he rarely wanted to listen to the warnings given by her or Zack. Not because he was unnecessarily stubborn but because he wanted to fight his enemies, not be protected from them.
"But it is unwarranted," the Admiral concluded with a reproachful glance towards Lochley. This was not the first time the two of them had squared off with each other regarding his safety as well as that of the rest of the Army of Light command staff.
"I don't have time to go through this again Admiral," Lochley replied as she sprang from her chair to meet Barnes' challenge. Barnes did not reply, seemingly stepping out of her way for the moment. "Zack, do we have any more leads?" The Captain asked, changing her focus.
"Just one," Zack acknowledged. "When we searched the body we found an access card to some guest quarters he rented with a false identity. I'm heading there next to search them, see if he might have left something that indicates what he was doing here or who he was working for, see if he might have left something that indicates what he was doing here or who he was working for."
"All right, get on it. Let's try to keep this quiet until we know more and I'll just give the normal run around to any Ambassador or security official that finds out about it before we have some definite answers." Lochley dismissed Zack who promptly left, leaving her and Barnes alone.
"Jerry," Lochley said as she locked eyes with the stone-faced Admiral standing across from her. "Understand that this is my station and that I'm responsible for the safety and protection of everyone here including yourself." Though she did not feel the need to justify her actions to a fellow officer, she did feel the need to do so to her friend though they had had this conversation many times in the past.
"Captain, I gave guards outside my office, guards outside the war room and my quarters are in a restricted part of the station, I don't want nor need anymore protection. I'm just here to do a job."
"And so am I," Lochley reminded him. "Part of my job is to make sure that you can do your job safely and that's what I'm trying to do. I'm sorry if it's not what you like or if it inconveniences you but you're going to have to learn to live with it for as long as I'm in charge here."
Barnes nodded, admitting that she was right, as he normally did. Lochley looked into the face of her old friend. With the loss of the Seventh Fleet and the potential rise of a new enemy, Jerry Barnes had the weight of a thousand worlds upon him.
"I'm sorry," Barnes conceded, to a degree releasing his guard. "We all have our duties."
"Indeed we do," Lochley admitted.
"Elizabeth, I've got about two dozens meetings that'll be taking up the rest of the day, not to mention waiting for some reports from the White Stars we've dispatched to where the Seventh was lost but, would you like to have dinner tonight? Say twenty-one hundred, Earhart's?"
A gentle smile appeared on Elizabeth Lochley's, otherwise taxed face, her brown hair slightly falling over her eyes, reminding Barnes that she was quite a beautiful woman. By the same token, as the Captain of Babylon 5 looked into his eyes she found, despite the weight upon him, he was a ruggedly handsome man.
"Sounds wonderful," Lochley eagerly accepted the invitation. "On one condition," she added.
Barnes raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"We talk for at least five minutes about something other than work."
Barnes laughed wryly; the first time he could remember laughing in a while. "That is one condition I can definitely agree to. I'll see you tonight." The two parted, leaving Lochley to her paperwork as Barnes returned to preparing for a war and waiting for answers.
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IAS Victory; HyperspaceJANUARY 6, 2272, 13:25 EST
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The IAS Victory slid through hyperspace with the force and speed of an arrow closing on its target. The hellish black and red hues of hyperspace reflected off the crystalline hull of the mighty warship. Close behind the destroyer, two squadrons of White Stars, each twelve ships strong, maneuvered gracefully in formation with two of their larger cousins, the An'Shaka class battle cruisers.
From the observation deck, exactly one level above the bridge, Captain Edward MacDonald stood, statue-like as he gazed into the never ending abyss that was hyperspace, his face along with his black and silver uniform, that of the Army of Light, painted a deep red. There was so much not known about this realm and what lay beyond it, far more than what science had discovered. Even for races such as the Minbari and C'Les who had possessed the technology for hundreds of years did not fully understand the secrets that hyperspace held.
There had been more than a healthy share of rumors and stories throughout the years of ships that had gone off the hyperspace beacon through either fault or intention. Some of them were never heard from again while others returned bringing stories of fantastic discoveries while others returned with stories of evils too great and terrible to imagine.
It was a different type of evil Captain Edward MacDonald was on his way to combat. Unlike those rumors that perpetuated popular mythology, he was on his way to fight an enemy who he could see, fight and kill, or so he believed. Whoever this enemy was, he would soon have the opportunity to meet them. Last estimates showed that the Victory and her battle group would be reaching their destination by mid-morning tomorrow at which time they were to begin searching for the murderers of the Seventh Fleet.
Officially, their orders were strictly reconnaissance. MacDonald however knew Jerry Barnes better than that, having served under him for too long not to know what the Admiral was doing. The purpose adding the Victory and her escorts to the other elements of the White Star Fleet already positioning themselves near where the Seventh was lost was clear to him; Admiral Barnes was positioning their forces to strike back in the event they did locate those who destroyed the Earth warships. It was a strike Captain MacDonald was more than prepared to lead.
As the Victory was fresh out of space dock, commissioned only five weeks prior, this would likely be her first combat mission, having been previously delegated to peacetime patrol duties. The last time the ship had even fired its weapons was during the initial shakedown cruise immediately after the ship had been launched. MacDonald knew the power of this class of ship, having witnessed it several times in the past but was anxious to make use of the power for himself and give the Victory a proper combat trial.
More so than wanting to put his ship to proper use, MacDonald felt a personal stake in this mission. Though he had resigned from Earth Force for personal reasons, as a Captain in the Army of Light, MacDonald felt that he still served Earth, as he had for many years before. When Earth was attacked, MacDonald felt the attack was against him as well and felt a duty to defend his home. He was sure his crew felt the same way, those who weren't Rangers, sworn to defend all members of the Alliance, were ex-members of Earth Force as he was. For security purposes and to prevent undo anxiety, he had kept the exact details of their mission secret from all but his executive officer, Commander Connor MacKenzie, telling the rest of the crew that they were leaving for training operations with other parts of the White Star Fleet.
The subtle sound of footsteps on the metal deck of the destroyer barely reached MacDonald's ear, as he remained transfixed on the view. MacDonald looked at the reflection generated in the window, a young man with clean but blonde hair and an Army of Light uniform, Commander Connor MacKenzie. MacDonald did not turn away from the view as his XO approached. "Commander MacKenzie," his voice was eerily soft and reserved as he acknowledged the Commander's presence. Four years ago, when they had all parted ways on the Dark Thunder had someone told MacDonald then that Connor MacKenzie would be serving as his XO on one of the most powerful ships in the known galaxy, the Captain surely would have chuckled at the idea. Not to imply that he had no respect for the young man, he simply did not believe at the time that he was suited for a command position.
It had taken an event as grave as the Imradis incident to change MacDonald's view of Connor. One-year prior, the governor of a Brakiri colony known locally as Imradis began an armed insurrection against the Brakiri Syndicracy as well as the Interstellar Alliance, declaring his intention to break away from both. Several factors made this situation all the more critical. The first, a gathering of scientists from across the Alliance taking place on Imradis was taken hostage. Second, the governor, in addition to his troops, commanded the loyalty of three Avioki cruisers as well as several support ships. These forces in addition to the planetary defense grid effectively allowed the governor to seal off Imradis.
The Brakiri, fearful that sending in their own military would result in many more deaths on both sides, asked the Alliance to intervene and end the standoff quickly. Jerry Barnes designed a series of lightning fast raids that eliminated the governor's support structure, disabled the cruisers and allowed the Brakiri to reclaim Imradis. During one such raid, a group of Alliance fighters led by MacKenzie was shot down over the Imradis capital city. MacKenzie had organized the survivors, led them through the capital, where there was heavy fighting between loyalist and separatist forces, sent an emergency signal and kept them safe on the outskirts of the city until a White Star commanded by MacDonald arrived to rescue them. When MacDonald had seen MacKenzie and learned that it was he who had led the survivors, he told him he was proud, the first person he had said that to in some time.
MacKenzie, in his black and silver uniform, its gold Commander bars shining, reflecting the red of hyperspace, stood firm at attention, several feet behind his Captain. "As you ordered Captain, three Blue Stars have jumped ahead of the fleet and are en-route to Sector 2837 and will be scouting it and the surrounding areas."
The Captain acknowledged with a slow and silent nod. The Blue Stars, smaller versions of the White Stars designed to act as scout ships, were the fastest, most maneuverable ships in the arsenal of the Interstellar Alliance. MacDonald's hope in sending them to scout ahead of their ships was that they would be able to outrun any opposition they might encounter. "You relayed my orders exactly?" The Captain asked sternly, not moving but making eye contact with MacKenzie's reflection.
"Yes sir, they're to turn around at the first sign of trouble and go at maximum burn until they hook up with the fleet." MacKenzie slightly changed the wording as MacDonald's original instruction had ordered them to "haul ass" until they found reinforcements. MacKenzie felt that using those exact words over an open communications channel wouldn't do much to further his respect among the White Star Fleet.
"Good," MacDonald answered. He waited for a few moments, staring through MacKenzie's reflection into the void of hyperspace. He expected the Commander would leave now that his report was delivered and was surprised when he did not do so. "Is there something else Commander?"
MacKenzie hesitated, unsure if he wanted to bring up the other topic he had come to discuss with the Captain. "Sir, I've been speaking with some of the crew. They've all been watching ISN, they know what's going on and," the Commander hesitated again. "Everyone is pretty sure that this isn't just a training mission we're headed for." He took several steps towards MacDonald, speaking softly. "Everyone is angry about the Seventh Fleet and everyone wants to know what is going to be done about it."
MacDonald cocked his head, looking slightly over his shoulder at his XO. The Commander carried an uncertain curiosity on his face as he looked to his Captain for answers. MacKenzie was still young, almost too young. Though he had seen more combat than most people should see in their lifetimes, there was still a great deal he didn't understand, a great deal MacDonald was trying to teach him. "You can tell the crew Mr. MacKenzie, that we'll do whatever we have to do to bring justice." MacDonald turned away from the Commander and returned to being lost in the swirling vortex of hyperspace.
MacKenzie turned and began walking away, feeling that nothing else needed to be said and that he had answers enough for the crew. As he walked out, he abruptly stopped and turned back around to face the Captain, deciding if he should ask the question he had saved, if the Captain thought they could fight whatever it was out there. He opted against it however, again turning and leaving the Captain to himself.
With its Captain staring across the hull of the destroyer and down its path through hyperspace, the Victory continued on its way towards a rendezvous with the unknown.
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RED SECTOR; BABYLON 5JANUARY 6, 2272, 14:00 EST
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Though some would say Zack Allan was being paranoid, over ten years of experience on Babylon 5 had taught him that he was simply being cautious and, on Babylon 5, there was no such thing as being too cautious. Before leaving security for Arem's quarters, he had swept the room with every kind of scanner in the station's array, making sure that they did not detect any nasty surprises that could be waiting for him when he entered.
The Chief stood outside of the quarters, one hand poised on his PPG, the other preparing to press the security override command into the door locking control. Again, though he did not expect any trouble, he was alert for the possibility of such. Zack keyed the five-digit combination into the keypad, prompting the door to slide open. With intensity, Zack drew his sidearm and swept the room. Seeing no apparent traps or other dangers, Allan relaxed his guard and holstered his weapon.
Arem's quarters appeared no different than any other guest rooms on the station. This room was small, one of the lower-end rooms available for rent on the station. It consisted of a room with a full-sized bed, dresser, small circular table, two chairs and a smaller bathroom. It was decorated by an assortment of reprinted painting hanging on the walls. Allan pressed another control on the wall bringing the lighting level of the room up to its fullest.
For several minutes, Zack hunted through the room, checking the dresser, and even behind the painting frames with no luck. Finding nothing of interest aside from a handful of personal clothes, Zack went with his last instinct and activated the BabCom terminal in the room. It showed that no new messages were waiting but the Arem did have two saved messages. It took Zack several minutes to bypass the password that had been used to encrypt the two saved messages but he was eventually able to circumvent them using an old trick Michael Garibaldi had taught him.
Both of the messages had been sent from the same "anonymous" send onboard the station. They did not identify which BabCom terminal they had been sent from though Zack knew it would be possible to trace it from security. The first message, text only, contained what was apparently a meeting time three days before a location, a less than reputable establishment in Down Below. The second was a short video transmission showing a black silhouette of a figure, Drazi by the sound of his voice as he spoke. "Many apologies to you Mr. Arem," the figure spoke with a cold hiss. "Shipment not of the quality for which you asked. This item, very hard to locate, very limited quantity, impossible to verify authenticity and quality of shipment. Will try again acquire the weapon but will be difficult." The transmission ended.
Zack, having had more questions arise than were answered, forwarded both of the messages to the security office to begin a trace on them. Zack keyed his link and contacted to security to have Arem's quarters swept by a forensic team for any additional evidence that may not have been visible to the naked eye and to have it sealed off for the time being, allowing access only to authorized personnel. He then departed for security intending to find out where those messages had been sent from and what business the sender had with Arem.
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DREADNOUGHT NRS R'TAL; ORBIT OF NARN HOME WORLDJANUARY 6, 2272, 20:49 EST
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Na'Goth had spent the day in prayer and meditation, preparing for the time that was now hard at hand. He had prayed that wisdom would be with him, that strength and courage would be will all who he commanded and that victory would be brought to them swiftly. Furthermore, he prayed that his enemies would not stand in his way and those who did would meet their destruction and would not interfere with his plans to rebuild the Narn Regime. During his meditation, he had seen their victory and the rise of the Regime to its former glory.
His fleet commanders had finished reporting in moments ago; over six hundred of their warships were fully operational and stood ready to invade. At his order, the ships of the fleet fired their engines as one and moved away from space dock. From the bridge of the massive dreadnought R'Tal, the Warleader watched as the heavy cruisers and missile frigates took the point position, forming up in front of the dreadnoughts and assault ships. Na'Goth allowed himself a brief and fading smile as he watched the uncountable number of warships form up with his own. These ships ranged from the newest to the oldest of the Narn navy, all of them having been outfitted with the latest in technology and weapons, all of them anxious to again serve the Regime as they were designed to.
The strategy was simple enough. The fleet would attack one world, destroy its defenses and occupy it, leaving some ships behind to see to the defense while the rest of the fleet proceeded to the next target. If all went properly, and Na'Goth had no reason to doubt that it would, they would have successfully attacked, occupied and secured seven Centauri worlds within fourteen days.
From across the fleet, his commanders signaled their readiness to jump. All was now prepared. Na'Goth surveyed his bridge and the eight other Narns on it. They were the finest the Regime had to offer, all well trained in the arts of war and experts at their job, they would do him and his ship proud. The Warleader sank into his command chair, allowing himself a brief moment of calm, for the storm was now upon them. Crossing his hands in front of the face, he gave the order. "Jump," Na'Goth said understatedly.
The heavens were ripped apart in a dazzling display as hundreds blue and white vortexes tore through the fabric. The smaller support ships, not capable of forming their own jump points, moved first through those opened by the larger cruisers and dreadnoughts. The mainstay of the fleet soon followed, the jump points closing behind them and space returning to its placid state. In hyperspace, the massive fleet slowly slid towards its first target. Na'Goth ordered the fleet taken as far off the main hyperspace routes as possible so as to avoid detection by any early warning nets. As the fleet fell into hyperspace, Na'Goth waited, waited for his appointment with destiny.
***
Mere minutes later, another ship slid through the hyperspace of Narn territory, this ship however, was not leaving the Narn home world but approaching it. The sleek form of the battle cruiser Night's Eye glided gracefully towards its destination, not knowing what awaited them there. The orders handed down to this vessel were to conduct a routine security patrol of Narn territory, beginning with a pass over their home world and the surrounding territory. Little did her crew know that this particular patrol would turn out to be anything but routine.
As they approached Narn, they saw nothing they had expected to see. The space docks were all but empty, the majority of the Narn fleet was gone, empty starship births left behind. Rather than seeking explanation, the Alliance cruiser disappeared back to hyperspace before much notice was paid to it. Reentering hyperspace, the dark, sleek cruiser set itself off the primary Narn hyperspace beacon and sent a signal both of warning and of disclosure as others aside from those it was intended for listened and watched.
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EARHART'S; BABYLON 5JANUARY 6, 2272, 21:06 EST
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Jerry Barnes was as relaxed as he had been in sometime, despite the weights upon his mind. The room was crowded but Barnes had managed to find a somewhat secluded table in the back. As he sat, waiting for Elizabeth, who seemed to be running stylishly late, and nursing a vodka and tonic, he allowed himself to slip out of his role as commander of the Army of Light, if only for a moment.
It was a moment however that he would be sure to enjoy.
Barnes watched intently as Captain Elizabeth Lochley strode through the door, scanning the room. After approaching a waitress, the friendly individual directed her to Barnes' table. Approaching the table, she smiled as Barnes stood to greet her, a slight smile having crept its way to his own face.
"Captain," Barnes greeted her in addition to pulling her chair out.
"Admiral," Lochley said as she sat and Barnes gave her chair a gentle push towards the table. "Thank you," she added in casual appreciation of the courtesy he had displayed. "Did your day get any better?" Elizabeth asked as Jerry again took his seat across from her.
"I spent all of it discussing the possible future of the Alliance with military leaders from a dozen different worlds, half of which think I'm the wrong person for the job," Barnes sarcastically responded, taking another healthy sip of his drink. "But the good news is that they've all signed on to provide support in the event we end up in any sort of a full-scale conflict."
"And do you think it will come to that?" Lochley asked, her voice soft with curiosity.
Barnes sighed deeply at the presentation of a question he did not want to have to answer. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't think we'll know for sure until the Victory and the rest of our ships complete their reconnaissance."
"And then?"
"We make a choice, to go to war or preserve the peace," Barnes answered in a tone of voice did not inspire confidence for the latter option. They had both considered that war could be the only option once they made contact with the destroyers of the Seventh Fleet. "I hope there will be some sort of diplomatic option available but the truth of it is, I don't see it happening."
"What do you say we change the subject?" Lochley suggested.
"That sounds like a fine idea," Barnes concurred.
"How are the preparations for the swearing in ceremony?" Lochley suggested with a sly grin.
Barnes smiled, realizing Lochley had purposely selected the one other topic he had wanted to avoid. For the past several days, he had been trying to avoid discussing or participating in preparations for the ceremony, the one brightside to today's events being that they had given him the excuse to not involve himself with them. "I haven't even given them a second though. I hate ceremonies, I can't even remember the last one I was part of."
"I do," Lochley said knowingly, taking a small taste of her own newly delivered drink, a tall glass of white wine she had ordered while being escorted to the table.
"Oh?"
"2266, when ground was broken at Earth Dome for the Telepath War monument, you gave a speech about how we can no longer allow the dangers of prejudice and the thoughts of superiority lead to the horror of war."
Barnes nodded, remembering now. Though the ceremony and the speech he had long forgotten, the events that they commemorated he could never forget, despite his desires to. "If only it was easier to remember what happened after the war than what happened during the war."
Elizabeth agreed. She and Barnes were veterans of countless wars, conflicts and border skirmishes and for each, they carried different stories, memories, mistakes and promises to not make the same ones again. "Maybe after the wars and between the wars we have to make choices that will be more memorable than what we're forced to experience during the wars"
Barnes smiled at the suggestion as he locked eyes with Lochley. The two of them had seen so much in their days; rarely did they allow time such as this for themselves. Their free hands meeting in the middle of the table, fingertips barely rubbing against each other, they both felt a strange but welcoming peace settle over them.
"Elizabeth … I," Jerry hesitantly tried to find the words.
"Don't say anything," Elizabeth whispered, leaning closer to him. They had both felt this coming for sometime, both tried to fight it and both failed in doing so. She did not want to discuss it or reason through it, she simply wanted to let the moment be as it was.
"Admiral!" An unmistakable voice sounded from across the room, Barnes pulling himself away from Lochley and standing to see Julia Rourke approaching their table with a fury in her step.
"Julia, I thought I made it clear that I did not want to be –" Barnes was cut short as the Assistant Director of Intelligence spoke over him.
"I'm sorry sir, but this couldn't wait." Julia insisted and by the passion in her voice, Barnes was assured it couldn't and told her to proceed. "We just received a flash trans from the Night's Eye," she dropped her voice to a low whisper, not wanting anyone else in the lounge to hear the information she had brought. "The Narn fleet is missing."
"What?" Barnes barked, demanding more information than he had been giving.
"They were performing a security sweep over the Narn home world," she kept her voice at a calm whisper despite the urgency of the information they carried. "The last White Star that went through their two days ago saw over eight hundred ships, the majority of their fleet, in space docks undergoing repairs and retrofitting. The Night's Eye detected over eighty percent of those docks now empty and over six hundred ships missing. Word from my sources also indicates that Warleader Na'Goth is nowhere to be found on Narn or any of their colonies, we can assume that wherever the fleet is, he's with them."
Barnes, shocked at the news, took a moment before he replied. With as much as a two-day head start, the Narn fleet could be anywhere, with any purpose. With Na'Goth in command however, Barnes had a fair idea of what that purpose could be. Though there had been times where Na'Goth proved to be a strong ally, Barnes knew his mind was always bent on a lone purpose, a purpose he refused to abandon. In the long run, Na'Goth cared about only two things, the complete reclamation of the Narn Regime and the fall of the Centauri Republic and he considered those two purposes to be linked.
"Find Mike," Barnes directed to Rourke. "Meet me in the war room in ten minutes and send a priority message to one of our White Star squadrons in that area, tell them to split up and join the Night's Eye in searching for the Narns, the other squadron is to standby in hyperspace." Seeing that the Admiral had no further orders for the moment, Julia left.
"I'm sorry," Barnes bent over and whispered into Lochley's ear.
"Go do what you have to do." Lochley countered with an understanding grin, gazing at Barnes as he darted from the room.
Barnes did not look back but continued on his way to his duties. Those, after all, had always come first to him, above anything else, as it seemed they would in the future now that the Alliance stood on the brink of war on two separate fronts.