Points of Separation, Moments of Introspection Act I

--

Author's Notes:

Well, here we go again!  Its time for another act of the first episode of my Eva/B5 crossover.   I hope you enjoy it; I'm going to dive right in…

Disclaimer:

Of course, B5 belongs to Warner Bros. and JMS; Evangelion to Gainax and ADV and a slew of others – the meaning of this sentence?  They own it not me.

--

Monologue:

It was the dawn of the third age of mankind, ten years after the Earth/Minbari war. The Babylon Project was a dream given form. Its goal, to prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call - home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5. - Commander Sinclair

Act I

Lieutenant Commander Susan Ivonnova stared out into the coldness of space while standing at the Ops console of CNC – directly before the main viewport.   Ships were moving in and out of the station, their actions controlled by the other guardian's of the station's space lanes.  But Ivonnova's attention was not on these ships moving in their tightly controlled patterns, but on an empty spot in the far distance.  Watching this lone section of space, she realized that noticing the object approaching from that direction was impossible with the naked eye.   So, she redirected her gaze down to her control board.  The control board beeped as the object still several days distant steadily approached.  

"I hate waiting…" Susan mumbled.

Everyone in CnC noticed her mumble, but nobody dared reply.  

"Has the Commander left Kosh's Quarters yet?" Susan asked sharply.   

"The Commander still reads as being in the alien sector." Replied one of the techs.   

"Great." Susan again switched to muttering.  "Just what I need.  The Commander having tea with the Vorlon while a huge rock hurtles towards us at breakneck speed."

-

Commander Jeffery Sinclair looked around Kosh's quarters.  Random things, the paraphernalia of an alien existence, stood around him.  A simple screen, an unusual display device, a human clock… yes there was one there, a simple, old fashion windup alarm clock.   Sinclair blinked at this as Kosh's vocalizations came, but no words emanated.   He stood silently awaiting the words from the enigmatic being known as a Vorlon.   He knew that Kosh would speak – yet the question was: Would he understand what was said?  

"Do you understand the cycle of life?" The cryptic Kosh asked, his voice accompanied by the sounds his encounter suit made during translation. 

"We're born, we live, we die." Sinclair responded, a somewhat smug look on his face.  

"Indeed." The Vorlon replied.  "However, the path diverges from time to time."

"What path?" Sinclair asked.  

The Vorlon tilted his head, "Death."

"What does that have to do…" Sinclair started, but was interrupted by Kosh. 

"It approaches.  I can feel their presence."

"What approaches?" Sinclair asked.  

"Death."

Jeff gasped, "That object, the asteroid?"

Kosh's suit made its noises but no response came.   After a short time, however, the encounter suit's head peace nodded in the affirmative.

"Then we'll divert it, destroy it…" The most direct solution in Sinclair's mind.  If it is a threat to the station, wipe it out.

"No." Kosh ordered.  

"No?"  Sinclair asked, puzzled.   "But if it's dangerous…"

"Infinitely," the enigmatic being confirmed.

"Then shouldn't we destroy it?"

"No." Kosh said forcefully.  

"Damnit, I can't let something with the potential to destroy this station…"

"They can destroy anything." The words were at almost a whisper. 

"Who are 'they'?"

"The ones you copied." Kosh said, his voice louder, but laced with sadness.

Sinclair blinked, "We… Copied?  I don't understand."

"You will." Kosh replied, then turned away from the station's Commander. 

Sinclair recognized it for what it was – a dismissal.  Inwardly he cursed the Vorlon, but a feeling of dread swept over him.  The prospect of destroying the asteroid was there, but Kosh wanted more.  What did he really want?

"For everything there is a time, a place, and a person.   The three are joined as one."  Kosh said as Sinclair moved to leave.  "The past is the key."

Sinclair froze for a moment, and then shook his head.  A small chuckle could be heard over the sound of Sinclair's respirator, "Leave it to a Vorlon to make a confusing situation even more confusing." 

-

Michael Garabaldi was making his way through the Zocolo.  People of many shapes, sizes, and colors brushed past him – each paying him just a bit of attention, none truly ignoring him.   Of course, it's hard to completely ignore the station's Chief of Security.   Everyone has something to hide.  His job was to find those secrets, so, by nature, everyone was wary of the Chief.   Of course, the Ambassadors all had their own agenda's – and they were the ones who concerned him most.  Right now, one Ambassador was firmly on his mind – thanks to his invitation to come to the local gambling establishment.   

"Ahhh… Mist-teer Garabaldi!!! My good friend…" An overly excited and happy Ambassador Londo Mollari ambled up to the Chief.   "Join me for a drink, will you?  Yes?"  Mollari clasped a hand to Michael's back, guiding him to the bar. 

"If this is about another loan, Londo," Garabaldi said in a wary tone of voice.  

"In a way, it is.   But it's more about settling part of my tab with you, my good friend." Londo said more seriously, adjusting his reddish ambassadorial uniform.   From a pocket Londo produced a data crystal.   "I understand that a very large object is approaching us at quite a rapid pace, yes?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ambassador." Garabaldi said, looking at him.  

"Oh, don't play coy with me, Mister Garabaldi." The exaggerated tone of voice had disappeared.  "We both know an object of considerable mass is diving towards Epsilon III.   But other than this tiny fact," Londo pinched his fingers together to show just how tiny the fact was, "you know next to nothing about this object." 

"Look…"

"Oh, please be quiet." Londo waved his hands in Garabaldi's face, gesturing for him to sit at the bar. "I'm doing something totally out of my nature as a backstabbing, politically-oriented, cowardly Ambassador – but I guess you humans are just too stubborn to take good advice." Mollari commented sarcastically, moving the crystal back towards his pocket.  

"What's on the crystal?" Garabaldi relented, sighing in the meanwhile.   He knew that this was something the ambassador would eventually hold over his head for some future favor.  

Londo Mollari smiled, "Would it interest you to know that your teeny-tiny object has been encountered before?  Yes?"

Garabaldi's eyes widened as the ambassador slipped the crystal into his hands. 

"If I were you, Mister Garabaldi, I'd destroy that thing before it comes close." Londo said in a whisper, then added, "And I trust that this makes our account balances a little more even, yes?" 

"Depending on what's on the crystal…" Garabaldi confirmed.  

"Oh, trust me, Mist-teer Garabaldi, this data crystal is quite valuable."  Londo beamed, "Since It seems that you humans are in a mood to take good advice, my recommendation is that you destroy that object long before it reaches here."

"What's this, some sort of premonition, Londo?"

"No, just a recommendation based on the facts," Londo sighed, looking seriously at Garabaldi, "The facts you have in your hand." 

-

Garabaldi was walking to CnC with the data crystal in his hands when he encountered Sinclair moving in the same direction.   "Hey Jeff, how did the talk with the Vorlon Ambassador go?"

Commander Sinclair smiled crookedly, "About as well as can be expected."  He resumed walking as soon as Garabaldi had caught up with him.   "And you?"

"It seems that this is the day for generous ambassadors."  Garabaldi produced the Data Crystal Londo had given him.   "Just wait until you get a load of what's on this puppy." 

Commander Ivonnova came striding down the corridor to the two chatting officers.  The chief noticed her first.  

"What's up?" He asked, noticing her serious demeanor.  

Her eyebrow arched, "I really hate dealing with these things.   Why can't we ever get the small problems?"  She practically flung the flimsy (A small plastic printout) she was carrying at Jeff.   "Commander.   IPX demands that we salvage the object intact." 

Sinclair blinked, "Interplanetary Expeditions?"

Susan nodded sharply, "The one and only.   They've ordered that we stop the asteroid, park it near the station, and wait for one of their salvage teams to arrive in eight days."  

"Eight days?" Michael asked.   "So let me get this straight:  IPX wants us to go out, pluck this massive asteroid which is almost 10 times the length of the station in diameter out of deep space, and get it into orbit with the station around Epsilon III?" 

Susan thought for a moment, "Yep.  That pretty much covers it." 

"Great, I'll just go out in my Star Fury and grapple it." Garabaldi said sarcastically.  "It's got to be what, only about a thousand times the mass of the station.  No problem." The security chief muttered while wildly gesticulating. 

"It's not that massive.  Sensors claim it's… somewhat hollow.  Still it's about 50 times the mass of the station." Susan said nervously.  "But that's only part of it.   This thing's not a natural space object.   Its ejecta – from a planet.   We've traced its path back to the source…" 

"Let me guess?  Earth?" Michael moaned out almost sarcastically.

"Got it." Susan replied.  "How did you know?" 

Garabaldi tossed up the data crystal he had and caught it in mid air.  "I've got sources.   The Centauri encountered this thing about 150 years ago… blew a Centauri freighter right out of space.  They sent a battleship, and it was barely able to put out a distress signal before it got fragged." 

"What destroyed it?" Jeff asked, curious.  

"I was going to let the video explain itself, but… They were mark 83 Surface to Air missiles – a butt-load of them.  There were also a couple artillery emplacements, and a few positron cannons that I could see.  Same type of heavy firepower used in the older cities, like Earth Dome in Geneva.  Only I saw about ten emplacements in the picture, and there had to be more of them around the rock…"   Garabaldi shook his head, "I'm sure as hell glad that the Centauri never knew exactly who made those missiles."

"That explains the energy signature… partially." Susan said.   "CnC's been picking up some powerful energy emissions from two locations in the rock.   One's relatively near the surface, one's smack dab in the center of the thing." 

"That's not all.  I saw the remains of a city ringing the crater which had the firepower inside.   Almost all the shots came from within the rock, while some came from the surrounding ruins of the city.  Strange thing is, I've never seen so many defensive systems in a city before."  Michael said, while scratching his head.

"Well, there used to be that story, remember Michael?"  Jeff said, looking at Garabaldi.  "Remember old Professor Karen Aida?  From Mars U?"

Michael chuckled, "Yep.  How could I forget her, she'd go on a drinking binge every April 26th.  Something about the day she found out about the reason her family had left Tokyo or something…" 

"Close.  Her great-great-great-great grandfather escaped from a fortress city called Tokyo III.   April 26th was the day she heard the story from her grandfather, who happened to have all the proof of it."

"I remember.  It was the only time she ever drank.  I hated arresting her, but she'd go off on these wild rants about how something called a 'Geofront' got…blown…into…space."  Garabaldi stopped talking. 

"I had taken her class once, Ancient Earth Civilizations back when she taught on Earth.   She told me the story once."  Sinclair stared at his friend.  "We all just thought she was Looney-tunes." 

"Hey, don't insult Daffy." Garabaldi said semi-seriously.  "But, if that's the case, then…"

"This must be that fortress city, and that 'Geofront'" Sinclair looked at Ivonnova who was chomping at the bit to add something more to the conversation.   "Susan?" 

Susan blinked, then continued, "Well, what ever it is – it's got power, and its adjusting course."  

Michael looked at her as though she'd grown another head.  "Say what?"

"It's altering course, and… decelerating.   It's going to park itself right beside the station, from the looks of it." Susan said, looking at Michael, "If you want you can get into your Star Fury and pretend to tow it into position."

Jeff watched as Michael frowned at the suggestion.  "Anything else we should know about?" The commander asked.   

"Well… sensors aren't being completely specific about it… but we're reading… life signs."  Susan said.   

Michael blinked while Sinclair stared at her.  

"It's too far away to get a clear reading, but..."

"They're there." Michael finished.   "Got to wonder what could survive in a rock for over two hundred years? 

"How many life signs are we talking?" Sinclair asked.   

"I've got three distinct locations for the life signs… but the odd thing is, they all read as the same life form."

"'Three are joined as one; the past is the key…'" Michael quoted the Vorlon's earlier words.   "I've got to wonder if he's just psychic or if he's actually seen all this before?" 

-

Kosh stood before his ship in Bay 13, the skin of the hull rotating through different colors.  Every once in a while, the plant-colored spacecraft would form Vorlon script upon its hull, as if it were communicating with its pilot.    Suddenly, a presence disrupted the Vorlon's train of thought.  

"You know what it is that's approaching, don't you?" Talia Winters asked the Vorlon in an irritated voice as she approached from the bay entrance.  

Kosh didn't bother turning towards her, "It is none of your concern." 

"When I see a blue haired, red eyed child suffering unimaginable torments before my eyes – and know that they're telepathic projections- it becomes my concern."  Talia informed the Vorlon.  "Who is she, and what does she want?" 

"Leave." The Vorlon commanded Talia.  

"Not until I get…." Talia doubled over in pain as the Vorlon moved around to look at her.  

"Leave… Now." The Vorlon reiterated.    The Vorlon Encounter Suit's Iris narrowed to a laser point.

Talia forced herself to get up, fighting the excruciating pressure in her mind.   "For now… but I deserve answers." 

"The mirror looks back when you gaze within." The Vorlon intoned, watching the retreating form of the telepath.  "That is the only answer you shall ever receive." 

--

Author's notes:

I hope you like it so far.  I'm trying to build up the story like it gets built in B5.   Don't worry, our Eva characters will be here shortly.  After all, this is the first episode. :). 

Please, Read and Review – tell me if its worth continuing or if I should just chuck it. 

Thanks,

PitViper