-----chapter 8-----
1949 hrs EST
The architecture of Minbar was the most beautiful, and unique to any eyes that set gaze upon them. Buildings constructed of crystals reaching through the clouds of the world. Tuzanor, the planet's capital of the Alliance and industrial center for the entire world.
The planet's capital remained at Yedor. A decision for having the ISAlliance away from the Minbari Federation's capital, made by Sheridan and his first lady, Deleen.
The lesser industrial cities remained the way they were for thousands of years. Crystal towers and buildings, while Tuzanor's buildings were more industrial in appearance.
On the far end of Tuzanor sat the ship yards where currently a handful of Minbari ships sat, waiting for their time to stretch forth to the skies, and the stars beyond.
Beyond the yards was the Ranger training facility. Recruits that entered the facility would emerge as Rangers, or as failures. The Rangers had the highest count of failures in all the system's military. They were the best of the best. Nothing less was allowed in the ancient Minbari fighting force.
Since the InterStellar Alliance was based on Minbar, and a human president governed the organization, more humans and other aliens were joining the Rangers. A society as ancient as the Minbari civilization itself.
The irony, a human governing an organization on Minbar. When decades ago, humanity was on the verge of extinction by the Minbari. The darkest days of mankind, until now.
John Sheridan, president of the mightiest commonwealth in the universe sat behind his desk in the Capital Tower inside Tuzanor.
Before him sat paper work waist high. He missed the old days, of being a fighter, a soldier. Never did he figure himself as a bureaucrat. If someone had told him that he would become president of an alliance when he first arrived on Babylon 5, he would had labeled them as crazy.
When he first arrived on Babylon 5, he missed his old girl, the Agamemnom. One of the few surviving Omega destroyers that survived the Earth/Minbari War, and the Battle of the Line.
She survived the line, only after the captain of the time, Laurence Best seeing they were outnumbered, ordered the retreat. The Agamemnom ran, to fight another day.
After Best retired, Sheridan took command of her. He always dreamed of skippering an Omega. And when he found out he had been given command of the Agamemnom, he jumped in joy, and knelt in sorrow. He would miss his rendezvous with his wife, Anna. If he had made the meeting, it would had been the last time they ever saw one another.
That would be, until he walked through Z'ha'a'dum with her at his side. A collaborator for the evil forces of dark.
After serving on the Agamemnom with distinction, he would later be transferred as military governor of Babylon 5. As soon as she came on-line, he did not envy her commander, Jeffrey Sinclair. All those people, a quarter of a million human's and aliens, his responsibility.
"You'll never get me on a station," Sheridan had remarked when B5 came on-line and the Vorlon's nearly wiped it off the face of the universe after an attempted assassination was made on their ambassador. A Vorlon that would later serve as Sheridan's mentor, and friend.
But when the late president of the Earth Alliance's last order was for you to take charge of Babylon 5, no one can refuse. Late-president Louis Santiago ordered if anything ever happened to Sinclair, it would be up to Sheridan to take command.
A critical and political decision. For The Minbari Federation put immense funding in all the Babylon stations, most notably Babylon 5. Sheridan, the man that took out the Minbari's flagship; the Black Star. After that event, he was labeled the Star Killer.
When he came onboard B5, it was going to be a straight forward career move. Succeed, or fail. But that was before he knew of a coup'de'tat of Earth forces. He never imagined an ancient evil returning in his days, and he being the supreme commander to extinguish the dark, and let the light shine onto the future. And he sure as hell never imagined he would go up against his own brothers and sisters in the bloodiest civil war in human recorded history.
He had gone from starship captain, to military governor, to renegade, to supreme commander. Only to end up as President of a mighty commonwealth. Whenever Sheridan would think of this, he would have only one response: "Go figure."
Sheridan sat in silence as he read the latest reports from the Excalibur. One advantage of the Excalibur belonging to the InterStellar Alliance, on loan to the Earth Alliance; he got to read all the classified reports. But knowing Gideon, there were probably things that occurred, and never bothered to be logged. Sheridan was the same way, and respected it. Just as long as it did not interfere with the Mission.
An unusual gust of wind brushed against Sheridan, and blew his papers off his desk.
"Damn," Sheridan cursed as he stood up, to retrieve the papers. When he stood up, a figure in a black robe and cloak concealing his identity stood before him.
"Our paths meet again, Mister President."
"Galen?" Sheridan asked, as the figure removed the hood of his black cloak. "What are you doing here?"
"I come, to ask for your help."
"Why is this sounding familiar. At least your staying out of my mind, this time. What do you need? You are out of my mind, right?"
"I need you to travel to Mars."
"Mars? I have a conference in four days on Babylon 5 with the NonAlign Council. Deleen's already waiting on me."
"It must wait, Mister President. Or Earth will most certainly perish."
"What's happened?"
"If you do not act, Matthew will be the victim of a witch hunt. And all that is, will be lost."
"Gideon?"
"Matthew has been transferred to MarsDome, where he is facing a military inquiry."
"Inquiry for what? I've heard nothing of this."
"Nor would you. For the masters behind this play, are devious and have their own agenda. You are the only voice of reason, John. You chose Matthew for his ability on pissing people off. He took command, not to stop at anything to find the Cure for Earth. And now, he is being betrayed."
"Who is doing this? EarthForce?"
"In a sense. Let us just say, that over the amount of time he has commanded the Excalibur, he has made a formidable enemy, that will stop at nothing but to silence him, and take Excalibur for themselves."
"And they are?"
"They are simply, the Storm."
"I want to know everything, if I'm going to get involved in this."
"You must, get involved, John. For Matthew has a predetermined path, he must walk upon. And being hanged out to dry, is not it," Galen paused, staring in John's eyes, peering through his soul. "And you have the solemn duty, to save a friend."
"A friend? Who?"
"An associate, comrade at arms, partner in crime so to speak; Michael Garibaldi."
"What does Michael have to do with this?"
"Go to Mars. There your questions will be
answered. But be weary and trust no one," Galen warned as he removed a black spherical object from his coat and placed it on his desk. "It can be used once, and only once."
"A frequency jammer?"
"The foe that we face have in their possession Shadow technology. Little or no evidence of my intervention must be presented."
Sheridan activated the link on his desk. "Yes, Mister President?" Came his aid, a Ranger named Martin.
"Martin, ready WhiteStar-1. I'm leaving immediately."
"Yes, Mister President."
By time Sheridan turned around, Galen had vanished off into the night.
"I hate it when they do that."