Changed Circle
Babylon 5 Year One
by Warringer
Chapter Thirty Six
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"I knew this would be one of the worst days in my life," Ivanova said and glared at the large hologram in the center of Traffic Control.
"Activating Jumpgate defenses," one of the Bridge Bunnies said, turned towards her console," Defense turrets online and ready for engagement."
There were a few little known facts about human build Jumpgates, like the one that graced Epsilon Eridani since Babylon 5 had been build. The more stocky design of the Jumpgate struts were based on practical thing and a few military theories, while all alien races thought it was something with the design itself and that the Terran Union wasn't able to build them like everyone else.
But they were wrong. Terran Jumgates were designed with the inherit systems to defend themselves. It had been early in one of the early conflicts with local races, that the TU had found out that no one would attack a Jumpgate. Now each Jumpgate strut was designed with integrated weapon turrets, active sensors and guidance systems. As a whole the four struts of a Jumpgate had the half firepower of a Ticonderoga and no one would attack a Jumpgate, because it would throw the jump beacon network out of whack.
Now was one of the times when Ivanova wished that she could simply start to fire at whatever came through.
And Redhorse took this moment to enter TC, stopping in his tracks just inside the door, staring at the hologram with wide eyes. He needed about half a minute to find his voice and even that he was barley understandable.
"Someone please tell me that that is a sick joke."
He looked around very hopefully, but Ivanova and the Bridge bunnies looked back at him, their faces telling that they weren't joking. Ivanova also shook her head.
"That really is a Star Destroyer out there?"
Ivanova nodded and Redhorse closed his eyes. He didn't know what to do, laugh or cry.
A ship that looked like the carbon copy of the Star Destroyer from 'Star Wars – Episode 4: A new Hope', was now on its way towards Babylon 5.
"Any chance that some of those Jedi-nuts build that ship?"
With that question Redhorse thought back at the 'Exodus of Jedi' as it was called in Pop-culture, when more than fifty thousand 'Jedi', 'Warsies' or 'Lucasists' had left Earth to depart to space unknown in sub-light ships back in the late 21st century.
And now this. This was a bit too much coincidence for him.
Ivanova shrugged.
"I have no idea. We haven't hailed them yet."
"Scans?"
"Show not really much," Cortana said, having been there all the time, like any good AI," Just the normal systems. They are using a very powerful Ion Engines, something that looks like fusion reactors, artificial gravity based on the Podklednow specifica. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Than hail them."
Ivanova nodded and looked towards one of the Bridge Bunnies, who nodded and opened a channel.
"This is Major Susan Ivanova of Babylon 5 Traffic Control. To unknown vessel, please identify yourselves."
Ivanova repeated herself two times, before the comm technician looked back at her.
"We are getting a response," he said and activated a smaller holoscreen next to the display showing the Star Destroyer."
The hologram showed a being that looked like a Lion Morph at the first glance, but than there were a pair of massive fangs coming from the upper jaw, making it look like a Smilodon. The being was also clothed in something that looked very much like the uniform of an Imperial officer from 'Star Wars'.
"This is Captain Dan Korin," the being said with a voice that had a massive growling," of the Imperial Star Destroyer Flaming Sword."
Redhorse glanced over to Ivanova and he could see how her eyebrow twitched in a pattern that looked remarkably like SOS. He also somehow knew that she would have wanted to scream at Captain Korin or ripping into a piece of furniture. Instead her hand just crushed her tea mug, out of line of sight for Korin and without a sound for him, thanks to noise filtering from Cortana.
A glance back at Korin gave Redhorse a comparison with part of his memory. Korin looked very much like a Smilodon Morph would look like, if there had been any. But there weren't.
Either Korin was a descendant of the 'Jedi' formed from the environment of their new home planet or he was a member of a race that had evolved from a Smilodon like big cat on another planet and somehow got influenced by human pop culture, in this case 'Star Wars'. Not really something unheard of, considering that one race that was still bugging every human with the question 'Who killed J.R.?'
Ivanova forced a smile.
"And what are your intentions, Captain?"
Korin smiled and showed the rows of his big pearly whites.
"Our Imperious Leader has heard of this place 'Babylon 5' from traders that crossed our space. We are here to start diplomatic relations. The Flaming Sword is to carry Ambassador to this station and act as his personal transport."
"Hoo boy..." Redhorse could hear one of the Bridge Bunnies, a Lieutenant Backett, mutter.
In his opinion Backett had hit the nail dead center.