Chapter 50

Fulfilling the Bond


Presidential Suite, Earthdome

Geneva, Switzerland

May 2, 2271

President Garrison Hollifield was pissed. He wanted to ring the neck of whoever was responsible for beaming out Ivanova from the medical facility in Teeptown. He knew who had to be behind it, and he had special plans for dealing with him.

"Ok, I want to know what happened and I want to know it now! It doesn't exactly strike me well to have my head of security beamed out of what is supposed to be a secure facility and not be able to find out where they took her.," demanded Hollifield.

Riker remained calm as he said, "We think she may be aboard a cloaked ship with shields up, so life signs would be difficult to detect. Is there any other way to find her?"

Garibaldi chimed in and said, "Back when I was on the station, we had a VIP from Earthdome that was on the run from Internal Affairs. He had secrets about Clark, if I remember correctly. I know that we had to get him off station because all Earthdome personnel have a data crystal that emits a low level signal that can be detected by internal sensors. It's possible that we could detect it externally, especially since the Hercules' sensors are more powerful than anything we have."

Hollifield nodded and then tapped a comm link on his desk. "Get Mulroney up here and get him to assist Capt. Riker in tracking down the coded signal from Ivanova's data crystal."

"Confirmed sir. I'll track him down ASAP.," toned in his secretary.

About an hour later, Hollifield was alone in his office after the meeting. He looked out his window and reflected back to the promise he made to Ivanova's late brother.

Flashback

Earthforce Base

Fort Eisenhower Spaceport

March 22, 2247

Commander Ganya Ivanov had just rushed out from a meeting with his sister when Captain Garrison Hollifield ran up to him as he was heading to his ship. "Ganya! Wait! I just wanted to wish you luck on your mission!"

"Thanks, man! Listen, can you do something for me if I don't make it back?"

"Anything, Ganya. Anything for an old friend like you!"

"If I don't make it back, keep an eye out for my sister. She'll hate you for it, but she needs someone to keep an eye out for her."

"You've got it, buddy! Now, go out there and take down those Minbari for me!"

Ganya saluted and hustled aboard his ship, which took off moments later. Hollifield watched as it ascended into the sky, and he wiped some tears from his eyes. He knew that his friend wouldn't make it back from his mission.

Weeks later, the inevitable happened and Hollifield had asked to be the one to deliver the news to Ivanova. He waited for her at her residence hall, ignoring the stares from the college students at him in his uniform. He p'heard some rather vulgar comments, as college campuses tended to be very anti-war, going back to the Vietnam conflict of the 1970s.

When Ivanova walked up to him in the lobby of her residence hall, she asked him why he was there. When he said he wanted to talk to her in her room, she knew then what had happened, but she hoped that he was just injured and not dead. When Hollifield broke the news to her with tears in his eyes, she tried to hold it in for a moment, but her emotional damn cracked apart and she fell onto his shoulders crying her eyes out.

To that very day, Hollifield had been able to protect Ivanova for the most part. He had to be subtle about it, not because he wanted to avoid notice, but also not to offend the person he protected. He wasn't always successful, but he did keep her from being transferred from Babylon 5 after the assassination of President Santiago.

Back to present

Later that night, Hollifield was summoned back to his office by his chief of staff. His worst fears had been confirmed, and more were added on as he saw Alfred Bester on the monitor, standing beside Deanna Troi and behind a seated, and restrained, Susan Ivanova.

"Greetings, Mr. President. I'll make this brief. If you want Ivanova back, all you have to do is restore the Psi Corps, name me as its director, and resign as president. You can't say that I don't ask for much.," Bester said with a sinister smile on his face.

"As God as my witness, Bester, if you harm her, I'll kill you with my bare hands," Hollifield said with anger in his voice.

Bester remained unfazed. "I'm sure Garibaldi wishes the same thing. And I know that the Hercules is trying to track us, so if they try to beam us out, I'll give both Ivanova and Troi a massive stroke, killing them both. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Hollifield knew what would happen if he resigned. Bester would find a way to control the new president and try to bring about the final conflict between normals and telepaths. He knew that Ivanova would understand if he had to sacrifice her to protect Earth and its citizens from that. Her hatred for the Corps ran deep, and he knew it would destroy her if he resurrected the agency that helped force her mother to commit suicide.

Ivanova said nothing, as she was gagged as well as bound, but he could read her face like a book. She didn't want him to give in, and if the cost of resistance was her life, then so be it. What he saw was not fear in her eyes, but resolution and determination.

It didn't help ease what he was about to say. "It is policy to not deal with terrorists, and I won't do so here. We'll find you Bester, and we'll bring you to justice."

"Justice? I'll show you justice, Mr. President," he said coldly, then turned to two of his associates and commanded them to bring her to the airlock. He also instructed the camera to follow, and Hollifield knew then what Bester was doing.

When they arrived at the airlock, the two associates threw her into the airlock, closed the inner doors, and stepped back. Ivanova got up and stood in the lock, but did not show any emotions. She knew she was about to die, and she wanted to face it with courage.

"Last chance, Mr. President. Do what I ask, or Susan dies.," said Bester.

"No.," said Hollifield.

Bester smiled, opened the door, and Troi walked in as well, with a smile on her face. "Still want me to press the trigger? Troi isn't under your command, and how will you be able to face Riker if you kill his wife?"

"I'll worry about that when time comes, but I'm sure he'll understand. The answer is still no."

"Suit yourself, Mr. President. You can't stop me from my mission. Sooner or later, I'll have your head. But for now...," Bester stopped talking and pressed the space doors.

For a brief moment, Ivanova felt the vacuum, but she soon saw the rippling lights of a transporter beam around her. Moments later, she was on board the Hercules. "You'd better sedate her, because she's been programmed by Bester. "

Riker nodded and said to the medtechs who were wrestling with Troi, "Put her under!" They did so and soon they were taking the captain's wife back to sick bay.

Ivanova followed and was checked out by the doctor. Aside from a little frostbite, she was fine, having only been exposed to the full vacuum of space for a few seconds.

Bester clapped his hands and smiled at the President. "Good move, Garrison! But this is far from checkmate! We will meet again!" Bester then ended the transmission.

Bester sighed and walked out of the room. He was met in the hallway back to his quarters by a blond woman wearing a tight-fitting uniform. "Pity he was so stubborn. I know you still have a thing for Ivanova."

Talia Winters smiled and said, "I'll have her in my bed soon enough, and she'll see the light. She's one of us whether she likes it or not. And so is that bastard, the president!"

"Ivanova can be broken and brought over to our side. Hollifield is a lost cause, thanks to the Vorlons. So we have only one option with him?"

Talia smiled and asked, "When do you want to kill him?"