Two Federation shuttles, one a Runabout and the other a standard shuttle, from the Enterprise and Ambassador respectively, received permission to enter the Babylon space station. Activity was hectic as work and repair crews received priority status and the visitors were forced to wait several minutes. Instead of tractors, a form of 'electronic guide pulse' was used to conduct the shuttles to their respective births. Both shuttles landed next to one another and the crews waited as re-pressurization commenced.
Waiting for them were Captain Sheridan, Ambassador Delenn, who wanted to take a close look at this Human who dared to start a fight against the Minbari, Dr. Stephen Franklin, an exhausted Commander Susan Ivanova, and a very uncomfortable Michael Garibaldi, whose broken leg was still fresh on his mind. There were in addition several security guards.
All of the watched as both shuttles had sat down with an ease that belied their boxy design. Neither one had landing gear as such and were now resting on their engines, which had ceased their bluish white glow. From the larger shuttle, two security guards emerged followed by Captain Picard and several other officers. One of the officers was a yellowed hued Humanoid male, followed by a tall redheaded woman and a strangely clothed dark-skinned woman.
About the same time from the smaller shuttle, the Captain of the Ambassador exited her craft followed by her staff. Unlike her counterpart, she didn't have security with her. Sheridan assumed-correctly-that a total of two guards would be sufficient for this visit. Still, weapons were not allowed on the station by non-B5 security and military personnel. His people would be responsible for their protection. On the other hand, Nightwatch, pro-Earth movement enforcers, were probably still on the station and these newcomers would be a tempting target. He would have to think about this, after all the Centauri Emperor had his own armed guards to protect him. And these people seemed definitely from out-of-town.
He really didn't have time for this but he did make time for this preliminary 'first contact meeting. There were funeral services to attend and tons of paperwork to do. The Minbari Captain Lenann wanted to visit the station and his own uniform was making him very uncomfortable wearing it.
Captain Sheridan looked the strangers over carefully. The first thing he noticed was that there was a difference in uniforms or more specifically the cut of the Jackets. Picard and his people wore a very military looking type of jumpsuit whereas Garrett's people wore a more casual jacketed two-piece. But every one of them had that golden insignia over their left breast. They were obviously two branches of the same service. And he found that he could very easily read the command rank, which appeared identical to his own military's.
Well, first things, first. "On behalf of Babylon Five," he began, smiling his most gracious sincere smile. "I would like to thank you for coming to our aid." He introduced the members of his party and his guests did likewise.
Picard took the dark-woman's' hand. "May I present our Ambassador-at-large Ms. Guinan."
"Ms. Guinan."
"Please, just Guinan," she answered, smiling warmly and bowing slightly to Delenn who returned the gesture that was so much like her own.
"I don't know where we'd be without you out there," he continued. "But I must warn you that you've made some dangerous enemies."
"On behalf of the United Federation of Planets, you're welcome," Picard said. "It was not our intention to enter this dispute lightly, Captain. We've been monitoring the situation for almost two weeks now. It has been disturbing to say the least."
That brought him to his next question. " I don't recognize any of your ship designs or uniforms and your technology is astounding. But you speak English. Exactly where are you from? And what is the Federation of Planets? I've never heard of it before." He watched as Picard winced slightly.
"Our Federation is very, very far from here," he said truthfully. He decided then and there to tell this Captain the truth when they were in a more secluded place. "It is an organization began by Humans and a species called Vulcans, hundreds of years ago."
"As far as I know, just about everybody who has ventured into space has been accounted for in the last two hundred years," their chief of security said flatly. Unless you count the Humans that have been kidnapped in the late twenty and early twenty-first century. But even then, there weren't that many. I have never heard of this organization, not even a hint."
"You wouldn't have," Garret answered. "We haven't had contact with the Earth government, here, for more than three hundred years."
"So you're a lost colony that just happened to be around at this particular point in time?"
Good old Garibaldi, John thought. That paranoid nature of his could always be counted on to sniff out the truth in times like this.
"No," Garrett said. "We were in the middle of a war, a firefight if you will, when our ships were caught up in a subspace temporal distortion, in one of the micro-fractures to be exact, that ripped apart our quantum structures and reconfigured them and stranded us in your part of the galaxy. It was not our intention be here," she finished smiling sarcastically at a very confused and suspicious Michael.
As she finished, the only word that came to John was a single, long, drawn out "Okay." Micro fractures in a subspace distortion what? Time to study up on hyperspace physics he thought. Fast.
"But since we were here," Picard added. "It was decided that our best option was to ally ourselves here at Babylon Five. But," he continued. "Not if it were in the hands of your Earth Government in the condition that it is now. If it were to remain free and independent, then we surmised that mutual co-operation would be in everyone's best interest."
John digested that. Was that a veiled threat? No, he didn't think so.
"Your cooperation may have been better served with a less adversarial stance, Captain Picard." It was clear that Delenn was still wary of these people. Their full defensive capabilities were an unknown to her and Captain Menroi's assessment of their ship didn't endear these people to her.
"Ambassador Delenn," Guinan said blocking another potential disagreement between those two. "Sometimes a book is judged by its cover and that is what happened here on both sides. I hope we can now read the book and find out what it really has to say." She looked at Delenn once more, then at Sheridan. "If you wish us to leave we will, that is part of our Charter, but if we do you will be missing an opportunity may never come again, not only from a science technical perspective, but from a Human perspective. We do have need of you, your base of operations, but we don't come empty-handed. We have things that you might find useful, like gravity plating technology-and coffee."
"Coffee? Susan spurted. "Real coffee? From Earth plants?"
Delenn interrupted. "Ambassador-Guinan," she corrected. "You may be correct in our assessment of one another. I would like to get to know a little bit more about you and your people."
"I am at your disposal, Ambassador Delenn."
"Delenn, please." The truth was, she thought, was that she may no longer be even part of the Minbari government anymore.
"Our medical advances may be of interest to you also," Doctor Crusher added. "We also have several of your people in our medical ward. Specifically, a Captain Hiroshi and sixty-two members of her crew."
"And how did you pull that off?" Garibaldi almost yelled. "I've been reviewing the visual logs of the fight and your ship nor any of your shuttles were anywhere in that area."
"There are ways, Mr. Garibaldi," Garrett said flatly. "And we did save them."
It was clear that he didn't believe her. Several others looked dubious also. Even if they had somehow been saved their injuries would was be so horrendous that their lives might not be worth living.
Beverly looked to Picard who gave her a slight nod. Mr. Garibaldi, may I?" she asked pointing to his broken leg.
The man looked around, almost stepped back away from the woman. Dr. Franklin eyed the woman closely as she pulled out a strange instrument.
"This is what we call a field medical tricorder-bone regenerator,' she said explaining to everyone present. "With your permission, I would like to show you what it can do." She proceeded to scan Michael, even as Dr. Franklin scanned the tricorder with his scanner.
"I really don't like alien technology pointed at me," Garibaldi snapped.
"Well," she responded. "I am making a point. Right now, my analysis reveals that your pain is slowly increasing as the medication is beginning to wear off. You've had several contusions, several healed over broken ribs and slight liver damage."
He was surprised and aggravated. Was the device that advanced? "You can tell all that that quickly?" He hadn't felt a thing.
"This is what I do," she countered. "Now may I see your arm?"
Indecision flashed crossed his face, then shrugged and moved towards her. "Look," he said. "I don't like doctors because they have a tendency to hurt me a lot more that the pain I have going in. So if you want to be added to the list of doctors I hate, go right on ahead. But I want Franklin to watch everything you do. If he says stop, don't even think about it. You do it."
"Agreed," she said, moving towards him. She activated the regenerator, moved it up and down the length of the broken leg for about twenty seconds. She scanned it again and turned off the device. "Finished."
Even before she'd said it, Garibaldi noticed the difference. He felt the bone re-knit and the pain was almost gone. His leg was moveable again, without hardly any discomfort, even though still very weak. That he could deal with. The look on his face was hysterical.
"May I try one more thing?" she asked.
"Yes," Dr. Franklin said before Garibaldi could even speak. Michael simply shrugged. Curiosity had him now as well.
Dr. Crusher proceeded to repair all the scratches and welts on him with the dermal regenerator. Everyone witnessed the facial scars disappear before their eyes.
"Take it easy, Mr. Garibaldi. By tomorrow you should be back to normal and the bone at full strength in about two days."
My God John thought. The technology these people possess!
"Dr. crusher," Dr. Franklin asked. "Can we talk?" he looked as though he couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. But his own scans confirmed it. The bone was re-knitted and getting better by the moment. The medical advances suggested here would be a leap of almost a hundred, maybe two hundred years he thought. The inroads that could be accomplished on this station alone would be significant.
"I would love to Dr. Franklin."
"Doc," Garibaldi said looking at Dr. Crusher with renewed respect. "I hate to say it, but I take it back. You're not too bad."
"I think we all need to talk," Sheridan announced, smiling at a smiling Garibaldi how had now removed the leg brace and was in process of removing the now unneeded cast.
"I believe that the book has been opened," Guinan said. "Page one seems to be-acceptable."
Delenn looked at Picard and the others of his group and her features softened a little. "Welcome to Babylon Five."
The meeting continued for another hour. Then the Federation members, with the exception of Ambassador Guinan, left vowing to return in three days when things cooled down a little and were less hectic.During those three days, the word uneventful was the least likely word to be used. The funeral for all those who were lost on both sides was completed. A kidnapping plot was foiled in which Captain Lenann and Ambassador Delenn were injured. And then the computer to decided screw up. Its artificial intelligence program, the faulty, original one what been accidentally re-activated and it took everything they had to get rid of the annoyance.
John prepared a small dinner for him and Delenn, recently release from the med lab. He didn't have much time to spend with her so every minute count. His new uniform looked very good, he had to admit and it gave him a since of completion, also. There was no way he and his command staff could continue wearing the Earth Gov military uniform after the breakaway.
Babylon Five was now open again for business, much to Earth Gov's hatred. But as long as Babylon Five was free, it would be a thorn in its side. And more importantly there was something else that they had an interest in-a serious interest.
"I know you don't like my cooking," John admitted. "But you need your strength and I want you to eat this even if you don't like it that much. Consider it a test of character."
Delenn looked at the dish in barely disguised terror, she took a bite. Then another. Then, two more. "This is rather good," she said surprised. "When did you learn how to cook something like this?" she asked as she took another bite.
Actually," he began, taking a breath. "Guinan gave me this recipe and the ingredients too. The woman is amazing. I can't get a reading on her. One minute, she's like the neighbor next door and the next she is so-so profound that it makes me believe that she is hundreds of years old. In some ways she's sounds like Kosh in the way she answers but the next moment, she sounds like my older sister."
In fact, Kosh the uninvolved Vorlon Ambassador, seemed almost intimidated by Guinan, he thought. He purposely avoided Guinan in fact. Strange.
"And that's why you're here. Have they done anything yet?"
"No, they've been peaceful and Stephen has been on both ships several times now. Each time he comes back, I swear that he glows a little more. Each time. And that bothers me."
"But they haven't been a threat to us. In fact, I like Guinan."
"But that's the point, Delenn," he said touching her hand and smiling as she didn't shrink away. "If they decide to attack us, I don't believe that we could stop them, even with your help. The other governments have been clamoring to get a good look at their ship and the Centauri, more than most."
"But that is to be expected, John."
"But this is the worst time for all of this. All this attention is not good for the station. Not right now when we're trying to get ourselves together. Earth is about to start a blockade on us. The Shadows are becoming more aggressive. And we will soon have to get our supplies from a completely independent source."
"On the other hand, Dr. Franklin is being relieved of some of his patients and your government won't dare attack this station with them here. We cannot stay here indefinitely."
"I understand that, Delenn." The political implications and the price of what she'd done by bringing those Minbari ships to save Babylon Five would be something he wouldn't know for decades. "That is why I am glad they are here. But Earth Gov knows this also. I believe President Clark and his cronies will try to take those ships by force. I don't know where Picard will stand if push comes to shove."
"Captain Picard is a very determined and stubborn man. And I believe that Captain Garrett is very aggressive. To be caught between the two of them, is something I do not think that President Clark is foolish enough to do."
"I hope that you're right."
"Then talk to them and find out where they stand in all of this."
"I can't right now," he said tasting a bit of the soup he made for them. "Earth Gov is sending an unarmed transport to take their people back with them. Personally I'll be glad to get rid of them off this station. We are not a prison here."
'It'll arrive in two hours," he continued. The Enterprise and Ambassador will remove theirs also. That was very gracious of them to hold on to the extras like that."
"By their actions, you see their intentions," Delenn whispered to him. "Go with what you feel. Talk to them. They could be important allies in the days to come."
"You're right. I'll have to make the time. Today," he decided. "As soon as the prisoner exchange is completed. Besides, I want to see the ship up close and find out what Franklin's been raving about."
Lord Refa was decidedly unhappy at being once again on the Babylon station once more, especially since he was 'persuaded' into coming by the Centauri Ambassador, Londo Mollari. However it wouldn't be a total loss. The Federation ships, as bizarre as they appeared were obviously very powerful and the energy protection field alone would be a nice acquisition. With times being the way they were, his people would have need of such a device, which seemed obviously superior to what his own military possess.
"Have you talked to them, Ambassador?" Refa asked in his usual arrogant voice that Londo was beginning to truly hate. "Is it true that it is a Earth vessel?"
"No, no," Londo corrected. "Those are not Earth ships. Rumor has it that they are from a distant, long lost colony. Obviously, a very long lost colony."
"Have you contacted their Ambassador?"
"Yes," he said. "I must confess that she is the most interesting person I have met in a very long time. Her ability to made drinks is the most astounding gift I have ever seen. She made a drink that actually turned into the most intoxicatingly exotic vapor I have ever experienced. And she-"
"Londo, Londo, I don't care about her ability to make drinks," Refa snapped, cutting him off. "I want to know if she can be convinced to share some of their shield technology with the Centauri people."
"I don't believe so," he said. "Besides, I don't know if that particular device would be of any real benefit to us. It could possibly increase the fighting. I have been studying the reports from the numerous conflicts. There are too many fronts. Our resources are stretched too thin."
"Once we have that technology, that along with our other resources should keep our people and our borders secure."
Londo almost spat at the man. "They will not share that technology. I know this Guinan. I have talked to her off and on for three days and I tell you it-will-not-happen."
The Centauri thought about this for a moment as he finished his drink. "The perhaps, conversation is not enough. Maybe a more aggressive approach may make the change their minds."
"Are you out of your mind?" growled Londo. "We are fighting so many smaller wars that we are at the breaking point now. And you want to fight these Federation ships filled with people who want to get home to their own personal little war?"
"I am sure we could handle them-"
"You are wrong Refa," Londo countered. "We can't do this. What if Mr. Morden's associates decide to attack Centauri Prime while you are here with half the fleet trying to subdue two homeless vessels?"
Refa straightened his long outward standing mane of hair. "We wouldn't have a chance anyway against them. His associates are the most powerful force I have ever known, but they're on my side and as my ally, I may one day ascend the throne itself. Maybe I will ask them to deal with the Human ships. I-"
"No. You won't," Londo said. You will listen to me or you will die. You see your drink is poisoned."
"What?"
The shuttle containing Susan Ivanova and Captain Sheridan eased into the shuttle bay of the Enterprise some fifteen minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start. This was not what he had intended when he first proposed the meeting. Earth Force had insisted and he wasn't in a position to deny this request. It would be a moment of truth. Whether he was on B5 or not wouldn't matter if this Federation ship decided to attack. So he went with his gut and came anyway.
"This is Shuttle Alpha Two, requesting permission to land, Enterprise."
"Alpha Two, this is Enterprise," the voice said. "You are cleared to land. Please release your controls and we will guide you in. Sit back and enjoy, Alpha two."
Dr. Franklin had told him of this procedure, but he was still surprised as a force gently grabbed his ship and began to bring it towards the opened shuttle bay. Both he and Susan shuttered slightly as they passed through the protective shields and landed more gently as than they thought possible.
"Nice gravity control," he murmured to Susan as soon as they opened the door, who were both also surprised that re-pressurization hadn't been necessary. Hearing about it was one thing but experiencing it was another animal altogether. There was nothing but open space between the bay doors and the shield. He could see Babylon Five clearly, for the first time without any obstructions to mar the view. It looked magnificent.
A tall, bearded, dark-haired man, that Sheridan knewas the first officer was there to greet them who proceeded to shake his hand warmly. "I am sorry that this is rushing a little but we are expecting visitors. I must warn you to prepare yourselves and not respond to the things you will see and hear," he said with the emphasis on the word respond. On my planet it's been said that diplomacy is another form of warfare."
"That's a common phrase on mine as well," Sheridan said non-chalantly.
"Well, warfare is about to commence. Sit back and enjoy the fireworks."
Neither one liked the sound of that.