STILL NOT IN KANSAS

by Soledad

Author's notes: For disclaimer, rating, etc., see Part One.

Guerra is the technician from the pilot, played by Ed Wasser. Technicians Keeligan and Robertson are named after the actresses who played them in the first season episodes. Rastenn is the young Warrior Caste Ranger from the 5th season B5-episode "Learning Curve". His family relation to Neroon is my doing. The visual similarity between Voyager and the White Star ships is something often addressed in fan circles, by both shows.

Apologies for the shortness of this chapter. It seemed the right point to finish this particular piece.

PART THREE

Commander Susan Ivanova, executive officer of Babylon 5, was having one of those days. Those, describable only in the most colourful Russian terms. Those, raising her regular consummation of vodka by twenty per cent. Those which worsened her mood to a level that made every member of the duty crew in C&C jump nervously whenever she was nearby. Those days.

Of course, she had every reason to be in an exceptionally foul mood. There had been just too many bad things happening lately. The death of Ambassador Kosh. The strange events concerning Babylon 4. The disappearance of Jeffrey Sinclair into a thousand years in the past. Marcus Cole. Dr. Franklin's insane idea of finding himself while walking around in Down-Below in a drug-induced haze. The unnerving behaviour of the new Vorlon ambassador – unnerving even for a Vorlon, that is. The near-disastrous first counter-strike against the Shadows. The frozen telepaths in MedLab… the list went on and on. It had been simply too much. She was near her breaking point, and what was even worse, nobody was allowed to realize that. She was second-in-command. She had to keep up appearances.

Consequently, she was irritated beyond measure, pacing up and down in C&C like a caged tiger and barking at anyone who dared as much as to look into her direction. After two days in this inspiring working atmosphere, the crew developed the habit of working in eerie silence and with downcast eyes. Being on day shift was considered a punishment.

Everyone on duty nonplussed the more when Lt. David Corwin actually had the suicidal idea of approaching the Commander without being asked first. But again, Corwin took duty very seriously, placing it even above his own physical well-being.

"Commander, a ship of unknown configuration is coming out from behind Epsilon 3," he reported. Ivanova whirled around.

"What?" she practically jumped before the main viewer. "Let me see it!"

Technician Guerra switched a few buttons and displayed the red and brown marbled globe of Epsilon 3 on the big screen. In front of the lower half of that globe a small white ship was moving slowly forward.

"Full magnification," Ivanova ordered.

The display wobbled for a moment, then cleared again. Epsilon 3 now filled the whole screen, and the ship was clearly visible in detail. The C&C crew caught their collective breaths.

"It looks like the White Star!" Corwin, the only one of them who had got to see Sheridan's brand new ship, murmured is surprise.

Ivanova gave him a look that could have chilled the molten core of a planet over; then she turned back to the screen. The unknown ship had indeed a faint resemblance to the White Star – although with a much simpler, clearer outline. It was a pearl white ship, rather plain and streamlined in design, more or less the same size as the White Star. However, the two long, cylindrical-shaped… things that were attached to its lower hull made her suspicious. If those were weapons, their size was ominous.

"Scan that ship!" she spat impatiently. "And alert the fighter wing. They should standby to launch any minute it might seem necessary."

While Corwin put the Alpha-wing to alert, technician Robertson, a gentle-faced woman in her mid-thirties, tried to perform the ordered scans. After several tries, she looked up to Ivanova apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Commander. They seem to have some sort of energy shields that our scanners can't penetrate."

Ivanova swore fluently in Russian for about thirty seconds. In the already tense situation they were in (including a renegade Narn heavy cruiser lingering near the station) an unknown factor was truly the last thing they needed. Then she walked over to the comm unit, ramrod straight, hands clasped behind her back, chin raised in a defiant manner.

"All right," she said coldly, "hail them."

Technician Keeligan winced slightly – Ivanova in full attack mode was a power to be reckoned with – and hurriedly obeyed. "You can speak, Commander."

If possible, Ivanova straightened even more, her voice pure ice. "This is Commander Susan Ivanova of the independent space station Babylon 5 to unknown ship. Identify yourselves and state your business here."

Keeligan looked up from her station. "They're answering, Commander."

"Put them on the main viewer."

Keeligan did as he had been told, and the inside of what had to be the alien ship's bridge appeared on the main screen. Once again, the C&C crew sat with their mouths hanging open. For starters, that bridge seemed rather spacious for a ship of that size, arranged on two levels, painted in annoyingly soft and light, almost cheerful colours. Secondly, the crew of the ship seemed to be made up of humans – at least mainly.

From a very comfortable armchair in the middle – presumably the captain's chair – a thin, strong-featured woman rose to answer the call. She wore the same bright-coloured jumpsuit as everyone else around her, in her case in black and burgundy red, her reddish-brown hair twisted into a tight bun on the top of her head. She could be anything from thirty to fifty – it was hard to tell from her smooth face, but her eyes spoke of a great deal of experience.

"I am Captain Kathryn Janeway from the Federation starship Voyager," she said in a deep, slightly scratchy voice. "As for our business here… well, that is a long story. One that I would prefer to discuss with the commandant of this station."

Ivanova eyed her full of suspicion. "Are you coming from Earth?" she asked.

"In a manner, I guess, we are," the captain replied with a sad little smile. "However, it has been almost three years since anyone of us set foot on Earth. We've been on a… deep space expedition, you could almost say."

"Almost?" Ivanova frowned. The older woman nodded.

"It wasn't entirely… voluntary. Neither was our sudden appearance here. We crossed an anomaly in order to get home and ended up here – wherever here is. But this is not something we should discuss on an open channel. My first officer and I," she looked at the quiet man with a tattoo on his forehead sitting on her side, "would like to come over and speak with the ranking officer of your station."

Ivanova thought for a moment feverishly. The captain seemed honest enough, but she still had her doubts. On the other hand, the strange ship seemed to have advanced technology, and they certainly could use something like that – and new allies.

"All right," she said, "come over with a shuttle. Six people tops, no weapons. I'll clear you for docking. Agreed?"

"Of course," Janeway nodded. "We mean no harm. All we want is to talk. Voyager out."

The viewer went dark, the image of Epsilon 3 and the ship replacing Janeway's again. Ivanova turned to Corwin.

"Tell the captain to meet me in the docking port. Alert Mr. Garibaldi to join us with a security detail. Oh, and find me Lyta Alexander, ASAP. I need to know if they are telling the truth."

She turned on her heal and marched out of C&C, without waiting for an answer.

Nearby, hiding in hyperspace, Alyt Neroon sat in his private office onboard his huge war cruiser, the Ingata. He had been sent on a very special message by Shai Alyt Shakiri, the supreme leader of the Warrior Caste – a message unknown even to his most trustful aides. They had been monitoring the communication of Babylon 5 for days by now, but this was the first time they had heard something new, ever since Starkiller and Delenn returned from their latest mission with the White Star.

Neroon allowed himself a thin smile. Had Delenn really thought the Warrior Caste such fools that they would not locate her shipyards and not realize what she was doing all the time? Well, they did – and they also realized the danger that the seemingly fragile Ambassador represented. And decided on an action matching that danger.

But this new event made him a little concerned. Unknown parties could disturb or even endanger his plans – he needed to know more.

"What do you think, Rastenn?" he asked his youngest aide, routinely concealing his fondness for the young warrior behind his usual, icy mask. Rastenn was not only his aide but also the firstborn of his oldest sister and his heir, in case he would not sire children of his own – quick-witted, brave and faithful to a fault.

Rastenn tilted his head to the side, scrutinizing the display on his uncle's monitor.

"It does have similarities with the White Star," he decided, "but I believe this is a completely different technology. I never knew the humans possessed this level of knowledge."

"Neither did I, nor anyone else," Neroon answered, concerned. "This can change the balance of power considerably. I deeply dislike unknown factors, especially during a mission this delicate."

"Then we should learn more about them," Rastenn said. "I could go to Babylon 5 with a shuttle and a false ID, as a member of the Working Caste – I am a passable cook and could find work in the Minbari restaurant. My Working Caste dialect is flawless, as you know – they won't catch me."

"I hope so," Neroon replied, "as I need information more than I need a dead hero, right now. Not to mention that my mother would tear me to pieces with her bare hands, should anything happen to you."

Rastenn smiled. "I'll be careful. I promise."

"See that you are," Neroon warned him. "You may take the Alota – she is a long-range shuttle and is not marked as Warrior Caste property. May Valen lead you to success."

TBC