Chapter 15

Smoozing on a Wet Winter Evening in Geneva


Luis Santiago Reception Hall

Earthdome

Geneva, Switzerland

February 10, 2271

9:30pm

The reception dinner was over with and so were the toasts. The crowd had made their way into the main foyer, where members of the Earthforce Marine Corp Band, who were its jazz band, entertained them.

President Hollifield was surrounded by a slew of Senators and Members of the House of Commons, and, from his tense expression, the politicos were already talking about new issues, as if the plague had been cured ages ago. Ivanova smiled at looking at his pained expression and sipped from her glass of ginger ale, and continued scanning the room. The president's newly appointed senior advisor, Dan Tanner, was spending a lot of time with his former friends off of the Enterprise-E and the Hercules. From their expressions, they were still taken aback by how this android they served with for years now acted as if he were a flesh and blood human.

Ivanova knew the secret, of course, having been told years ago by Hollifield. It was a closely guarded secret, and one of the first acts that President Hollifield made was to sign a secret executive order exempting Dan Tanner from the law banning human-form robots. She still was amazed at him, and how Hollifield and the technomage Alwyn had been able to keep it a secret for so long.

Scanning further, she saw her friend Loughley dancing with Captain Matthew Gideon, commander of the Excalibur. Their relationship seemed to have grown a lot since she last saw them together, and she wondered when they might get married. That thought briefly brought up the thought of Marcus, but she deflected it and was reminded of Jeffery Sinclair's engagement to his longtime love, Catherine Sakai.

Speaking of those two, they were not here. After the success of the Yamato's Cosmo-DNA machine, the two of them had secretly headed back to Babylon 5 aboard the same golden ship that brought them there. Earlier in the day, Hollifield had replaced her as commander of the Titans and promoted her to major. He also gave her new orders.

Major Twanissa Hudson was also freshly promoted, but still commanded the Freedom. Ivanova was going to take over the helm of the Liberty day after tomorrow, so it was a good time for Hudson to walk up to her.

However, Hudson didn't want to talk how to deal with Victory-class destroyers. "Do you ever think that those pompous frauds will ever leave him alone for a second," she asked Ivanova.

Ivanova snorted, then turned to Hudson and said, "Give them a couple more hours. The president's going to be here for a while longer. Why do you ask?"

Hudson sighed and said, "Well, I was hoping that he'd ask me to dance. For as much time as we spent together on the Freedom, you'd think he'd give me one at least!"

Ivanova laughed and said, "You never know, he might ask you before the night is out.," looking at him as she spoke to Hudson. Hollifield briefly glanced Ivanova's way and nodded slightly, but still was talking to politicos swarming him.

Hudson changed the subject. "So, what are you expecting to happen when we meet up again at the station?"

Ivanova thought for a moment, then replied, "Well, just because this part is over with doesn't mean that we have won anything yet. Starsha told us that we needed to meet there to go over the plans for the next phase of the operation, and I'm sort of looking forward to going through the rift again."

Hudson looked blankly at her and then said, "You may be, but that place gives me the willies. I read what happened to you on that mission, the full story mind you, as the president shared the whole details with me not long ago."

Hollifield waved off the politicos and made his way over to them. He greeted Ivanova, then turned his attention to Hudson, "I believe that I am in the mood for a dance. I've done my work for the day, and I wonder...Major, if you'd be interested in cutting a rug with me," he said, extending his hand to her.

Hudson smiled and said, "It'd be an honor, Mr. President.' she replied, taking his hand and letting him lead her onto the dance floor.

"They make a cute couple don't they," she heard behind her, and she wasn't surprised to see her old colleague Garibaldi behind her, looking on as the President began to dance with Hudson.

"Yeah, they do. I don't know what will become of it. He's been widowed twice, and she lost her husband in the civil war against Clark years ago, so I don't know if they are too bruised up to open their hearts again."

"Sort of like you?"

Ivanova nodded and said, "Yeah, sort of like me."

"Look, Susan, I'm sorry if I was a little too blunt..."

She waved off his apologies, saying, "Don't worry about it, Michael. It's not like I don't think of Marcus at least, what, a dozen times a day. So being reminded of him is a regular occurrence for me. Where's Lise?"

Garibaldi was glad for the change of subject, "She's flying back to Mars with Mary. Mary started getting sick due to the gravity and Lise figured that it'd be better for her back on Mars. Besides, my job isn't done yet. President Sheridan wants me in on the meeting with Starsha to go over the next phase, as well as you-know-who."

You-know-who soon showed up and walked up to them. The former Narn ambassador to Babylon 5, G'Kar, was as imposing as ever. His muscular body in its black and gold mottled skin would intimidate most sentient beings, but the way he was these days was far from a warrior. He had a glass of wine in his hand as he walked up, but he set it down on the bar, and Ivanova read that he did that out of sensitivity to Garibaldi.

G'Kar gave the traditional Narn greeting of clenched fists placed on his chest, and Ivanova and Garibaldi reciprocated. He spoke up, "So, I miss out on all the fun and frivolity that you all have been going through these past days! Just my luck that I was stuck on my homeworld, advising the new government and trying to avoid being made the Narn version of Pope there."

Garibaldi laughed and asked, "So how go the sales of the Book of G'Kar?"

G'kar pointed a finger at Garibaldi, "That's not funny, Michael. I never sought to be a religious icon, and I won't become one as long as I'm alive!"

Ivanova just had to retort, "Wonder if Jesus Christ ever said that?"

G'Kar responded, "Well, if he did, then he would have had enough sense to avoid being nailed to that totem pole..."

A voice behind him said, "It's called a cross, my dear ambassador."

G'Kar's face showed annoyance, and he turned ready to quarrel, but when he saw that it was Bernadette II, his face fell and he mumbled out, "My apologies, Your Eminence."

Bernadette smiled and said, "It's technically 'Your Holiness', but I'll let it slide. And don't think that Jesus Christ didn't have a sense of humor himself. Back in seminary, one of my instructors asked the class,'Did Jesus ever laugh?'"

Garibaldi could see the way the conversation was going and made his escape, heading over to where Sheridan and his wife Delenn were sitting with the crew from the Wildstar and Yamato, who were decked out in their dress uniforms. The Earthforce brass stayed away from them, not because of the others, but because of Sheridan.

Sheridan nodded as Garibaldi came up, saying, "Well, here comes the life of the party! Tell me, Garibaldi, what crisis is going to interrupt my fun this fair evening?"

Garibaldi pulled up a chair and sat beside him, retorting, "Well, Mr. President, I have some very bad news: they've run out of fresh fruit, so your SOL if you want another orange or banana tonight!"

Sheridan elbowed Garibaldi lightly, and Garibaldi acted as if he'd had a rib broken or something as the others laughed. Hollifield saw them cutting up and getting laughs from those at the table with them, even Delenn, who didn't laugh often.

He returned to his dancing partner, "So, when do you go back out again?"

Hudson snorted and said, "Well, Commander-in-Chief, if you don't know that, then you should talk to those sticks in the mud sitting over there.," and she nodded in the direction of the Joint Chiefs and their spouses, "Unless, of course, you want to change the orders and keep me Earth-bound or something."

Hollifield smiled and said, "What makes you think you're the only one who's going to be Earth-bound?"

Hudson looked at him, shocked, and asked, "Why put yourself at risk like that?"

Hollifield sighed and said, "My dear Major, there are many reasons, the main one being that there are more than a few people who are still miffed at the way we overthrew Clark and wouldn't mind giving me a nice little PPG wound somewhere on my body, preferably a fatal one."

Hudson nodded and sobered, "Knowing that bunch, no wonder you want to get away for a while from here until the veep settles things down.," she said, smiling at him, "So how much longer do you want to stay here, Mr.
President?"

Hollifield smiled and said, "Not much longer, but I don't want to leave too soon and ruin the party. Once I leave, that's an unofficial signal that the party's over, you know? Besides, if you want, I have to find some acceptable way to sneak you up to my quarters without the press finding out!"

Hudson paused, "You sure?"

He nodded and said, "I've sort of known how you feel about me, Twanissa and I feel the same way about you. When you get to be my age, you have to take a chance at love when it comes, because you never know if it'll come again."

They smiled and she was tempted to kiss him, but she resisted because the media was still there. He whispered in her ear some instructions, then, once the song ended, he lead her back over to Ivanova, who was by herself again. "Now that I've danced with her, I think I'll dance with you," said Hollifield, who grabbed Ivanova's hand lightly and play acted like he was going to drag her onto the floor.

Ivanova's eyes went wide, and she momentarily protested, saying, "Oh no you don't," then she conceded and made her way to the dance floor with her commanding officer.

Presidential Suite

February 11, 2271

4:45am

Hollifield and Hudson were lying together, snuggled up after making love in bed. Hollifield was sure the guards were chuckling about it, but,
having hand picked them himself, he knew that they wouldn't reveal the happenings going on inside his bedroom to the media or anyone else.

She tightened her grip on his body, and said, "You know, we're going to have to keep up appearances on board my ship. Wouldn't want the crew's morale to suffer?"

Hollifield laughed and replied, "Well, we'll have a few days on board B5, so I guess I can sneak you up to my quarters for 'strategic meetings' or something like that!"

The both of them laughed, then Hudson asked, "When do you want to go public with this?"

Hollifield sighed, and then said, "When this is over with. Right now, we have to make protecting Earth, and not just this one, our top priority. Once that's done, then we can go public."

Hudson nodded in agreement, "Good. Lord knows that I've wanted to be here with you like this for a while now."

Hollifield kissed her on the lips and said, "You're not the only one, kiddo!" and they began to make love again.