Thirteen

Chapter Six:

Waking Up The Echoes

Admiral David Rissen was a devout Jew, and he made sure that EarthGov, the slang term for the Earth government, didn't cut the station's budget to keep from having Rabbi Yossel Horowitz sent back to his Brooklyn synagogue. He had done what he could to keep interest in the station and keep Garrison Hollifield's, as well as the late president Luis Santiago's, vision for the station alive.

It was a losing battle these days, as the station barely held 30,000 people, most of them humans, and most of those station personnel. Even the lurkers in Down Below were gone these days, as the program former Interstellar Alliance president John Sheridan spearheaded to help those people out of poverty worked to empty those corridors and give those people some hope for a change. So now, they had to go to great lengths to drum up business: book conventions for anything they could, drum up tourism by setting up tour packages to see the sights of the Shadow War, and so on and so forth.

Rissen took the job because he wanted a quiet place to retire from Earthforce. With the death of his wife a few years earlier, he had jumped at the chance to take command of the station from the retiring military governor, Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Lochley-Gideon, who had retired to be with her husband, former Excalibur Captain Matthew Gideon. In the near decade of ruling the place, he had seen it slowly evolve into a backwater. The Interstellar Alliance, located in Tuzinor on the Minbari homeworld, had taken over what had been the primary mission of the station: a sort of intergalactic United Nations, as well as a place of commerce for the plethora of alien races in the galaxy.

Minbar was booming, as were the Centauri, thanks to the popularity of their new emperor, Vir Cotto. The entire galaxy was riding high on a wave of prosperity, especially Earth, but the sad statement was that the place which was most responsible for this state of affairs had been reduced to a shell of its former self.

Now, though, the place was booming, as President Hollifield has signed a series of secret orders to convert the place over to hold the survivors of the Cylon attacks. The hydroponic gardens were being overhauled to meet the increased demands for food and oxygen, and the station needed more personnel to deal with the newcomers.

This would be all well and good had Admiral David Rissen not had to deal with a nosy Earth liaison named Kurt Jamison. He contrasted the admiral's tall, bony frame topped with short gray hair and beard by being a stocky, shabby, hair implanted man whose middle name must be some perverted definition of vanity. The two didn't like each other, mainly because Rissen knew that the Babylon 5 Oversight Committee in the Earth Alliance Senate had forced Jamison upon President Hollifield. It also didn't help that Jamison was a Liberal Democrat while Hollifield's party were the Progressive Conservatives.

And think of the devil, he shall appear. Jamison came in with briefcase in hand, looking like he'd been out all night the evening before. He was a notorious ladies' man, and it clashed with Rissen's more modest, more business-like nature.

Jamison plopped his case down on the admiral's desk, which earned him a glare from the CO of the station, and started in on him. "Why is the president bringing these people here? Doesn't he realize that it's going to be much more expensive to house them here, even with the contributions from the Minbari and the Centauri?"

"Because the president said so, and because these people need a safe haven from their enemies. And because the president believes that these enemies of theirs could be enemies of ours if we don't learn more about them, which is good enough for me. Now, do you want beings who can mimic humans infiltrating EarthGov and Earthforce and set us up for what happened to these Colonials?" answered the admiral, who knew what Jamison really wanted to do with the station.

"Yeah, but do we have to do it at the taxpayers' expense? Things may be good now, but not if the president doesn't cut some of the fat from the budget, especially the mother of all pork projects like this station." Jamison answered.

"Doesn't matter, because they'll be here soon, and I'm not sure how long they'll be here. Their military vessels will be refitted here, and they'll need our resources to construct new fighters as well as train new pilots. We'll also have other Earthforce ships here as well as those crews as well. That means business…" Rissen replied

"Yeah, but we're giving a ton of material to these people for what reason? Look, I know the president means well, but I have to be sure that he's not doing something that's not in the best interests of the Earth Alliance and her people!" Jamison countered.

"This has nothing to do with budgets or even this place. This has more to do with the fact that you ran against the president two years ago and got your ass kicked and your party drummed you out. The LibDems wanted the guy who was on the ticket for the worst defeat the party had ever suffered in its history out of the picture, and what better way than to put him in the position of Earth representative to Babylon 5."

Jamison glared at the admiral and angrily grabbed his case, standing up and saying with particular venom, "When those people are gone from here, this place will close and I'll be sure it gets decommissioned, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!" He stormed out of the office, barely missing the outgoing executive officer, Major Porshe Del Rio. Rissen was much gladder to see her come into his office, and not just for her attractive Brazilian looks.

Del Rio had jet-black hair and a body that probably was great when she was 21, and still was great at 45. Part of Rissen wishes that fraternization was legal, because he wouldn't have minded to date her, but she was a lesbian and already had a partner back at home. Magdelena Ortiz was quite an attractive woman herself, so he at least admired her taste in women. However, that wasn't all he admired about her.

"Sir, I just wanted to let you know that the lieutenant colonel just arrived and she's ready for the transfer ceremony whenever you are. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say that it has been a pleasure to serve with you for all these years here. I would like to have been here for you to help you keep the place open, but when the president calls…" she extended her hand and he shook it.

"Major, it's been a pleasure to have you under my command. Granted, it's been a lot more boring than our predecessors experienced with their commands, but I am grateful to have had an outstanding officer like yourself serving under me and helping me deal with the myriad of problems that cropped up here anyway. Good luck on your explorer class ship!" He saluted her, and she returned the salute, then walked out to catch her shuttle.

Five days later, the Colonial fleet arrived, along with the two Colonial Battlestars, Galactica and Pegasus. Rissen was clad in his dress uniform, along with Doctor Rachel Biggs, chief medical officer, and Chief Warrant Officer Vlad Kiprosov. The exec was in the observation dome, the command and control center of the station, overseeing the arrival of the first transport of the colonials, which included President Laura Roslin, Galactica CO Commander Saul Tigh, Pegasus CO Commander Jack Fisk, Admiral William Adama, head of the Colonial fleet, and all members of the Quorum of Twelve. Accompanying them were former Babylon 5 commanding officer John Sheridan, former Babylon 5 chief of security Michael Garibaldi, and Dan Tanner, presidential chief of staff.

The historic meeting took place in Bay 12, which seemed appropriate for the occasion. Roslin walked forward and spoke to the command staff, "On behalf of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, I want to thank you for your kind offer of safe harbor here."

Rissen replied, "And on behalf of the Earth Alliance, we wish to welcome you here to Babylon 5."

Coming into the bay was the executive officer, and she was hurrying to take her place in line. "Sorry I'm late, but the transport tube had a problem. My apologies."

Rissen said, "No problem. Madam President, may I introduce my executive officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sharon Valerii. She's just arrived here, so she's still getting used to the place."

Adama and the rest of the Colonials were stunned at what they saw. This Sharon Valerii was older than the one they knew. She was in her mid 40s and had some graying in her hair, and she was also heavier than the younger Cylon that they knew. But the voice was unmistakable, and they were all standing there, staring at her.

Lt. Col. Valerii looked at her executive officer and asked, "Is there a problem, sir?"

Sheridan spoke up and said, "I'm afraid there is one. A big one!"