Chapter 6

19:21, February 1, 2262, Mars.

"I'm fine," Susan said, swatting at her nurse's hand as he tried to prevent her from getting out of the bed. "All I need is my uniform, some rest, and a good cup of coffee. I don't need to be stuck here letting people poke at me to see how I am feeling, when I already know I am fine. "

"But the doctor," the nurse attempted to argue. "He said that there were more tests that he needed to run."

"Well he can run them on someone else," Susan said firmly, her words carrying the unmistakable air of finality about them. Susan had always hated being poked by doctors, even Franklin back on Babylon 5, and he was a good friend. She certainly wasn't going to let some strange doctor keep her in bed for days, no matter how she felt. "Now get me my uniform so I can get rid of this stupid gown." Annoyed she tugged irritably at the white fabric as if it was something that offended her.

The nurse sighed, finally giving up the battle to confine the difficult woman to her bed. He snatched up her uniform from the table it lay on and threw it at Ivanova. "There, but if the doctor chews me out because I let you go I am going to tell him you slipped away when I was visiting another patient."

Susan smiled at the dour nurse, "don't worry I feel fine now. It was just a little bump on the head. I have had a lot worse. I just have to get out of here. Besides, it is not as if I won't have someone the look after me, my ship has a full medical team."

The nurse harrumphed and stomped out of the room to leave Susan to dress in private. As soon as he was gone, she tore off the itchy Medlab gown and tossed it into a bin on the other side of the room. She then quickly dressed in her Earthforce uniform, trying to ignore the tear in the sleave and what looked like blood stains covering the right leg. She had little physical damage to show for the day's activities, although the same could not be said for her uniform. It was torn and covered in dust, blood and other unidentifiable substances. Susan wasn't about to wait around her while another was fetched from the Rasputin though, this would have to do until she could get back to her quarters.

Finally fully dressed she stretched to test her body for any hidden aches of pains, before slipping out of the room and down the corridor towards the rest of the station. In fact, physically she didn't feel bad at all, in spite of a nagging headache that had plagued her ever since the medical team had pulled her out of the bombed cafe. She had complained to the doctor twice as he had examined her, and finally giving in to her demands, he had pumped more painkillers into her system. They didn't seem to have made much difference though, the headache remained, although the other minor aches and pains she was feeling had faded away.

However, despite what she had told the nurse, and before him the doctor, she really wasn't fine at all. Mentally she was still feeling the effects of the strange dream she had suffered while unconscious. She couldn't remember exactly what the dream had been about, just a few scattered images that left her confused and more than a little worried. But for some reason the images kept coming back to her, as if her mind was trying to tell her something, although Susan had no idea what that could be. All she knew was that in her dream she had lost control, let her anger overwhelm her. Perhaps the dream was trying to tell her lighten up and stop being so serious all the time, but she could not help but feel that it was something more though. Still she had suffered a nasty knock to the head so it was little worry that she had such a strange dream.

Further thoughts on the matter were put aside however as Susan noticed two men walking down the corridor towards her. At first, she thought that they were staff from the medlab and looked for somewhere to hide until they had passed. Then she noticed the sturdy frame of General McCarron and relaxed. The second man she didn't know, but he wore the grey of Earthforce security so was probably a member of the station's Security team.

As they came closer, she examined the second man, trying to determine his importance. He was a tall man, although he was stooped over so he could hear the General better. As he drew closer, Susan noticed his hair was long and drawn back behind his head in a ponytail, similar to how she occasionally wore her own hair. His uniform was also baggy and ill fitting, so Susan was very surprised when she saw his rank insignia identifying him as Chief of Security.

She sighed as she realised that the two men probably wanted to quiz her about what had happened, and for a moment thought about going the other way. It was too late to escape though as the General had already spotted her. "Captain," his deep voice called out. "I didn't think you would be out of bed yet. The doctor said it would be a day at least."

Susan turned back to the General and looked at him defiantly as if to dispute the doctors claims. "I am fine Sir, Dr Muller is just being too cautious."

"Yes he does seem to err a little on the cautious side," McCarron agreed, an almost invisible smile playing across his lips. Then he turned and indicated his travelling companion. "Actually Frank here wanted to ask you a few questions about what happened so we were just on our way to see you. Now that you are out of bed, perhaps we can go somewhere a little quieter and have a quick chat. I must admit I am a little curious as well, it is not every day that part of my station get blown up. "

Susan sighed deeply. She knew this was going to happen, which is one of the reason she had been trying to sneak out of the Medlab early. She knew there would be questions, but she had no answers, and probably knew little more than they did. Still she agreed to the General's proposition and followed him and Security Chief Cox to his nearby office.

Compared to the tightly run security office back on Babylon 5, this room was a mess. There were piles of printouts and data crystals covering every surface, and the desk that dominated much of the room was piled high with mementos, paperweights, unwashed cups, and other unidentifiable junk. Security Chief Cox did not seem fazed by the mess though, and simply pushed a few stacks of papers into a box and shoved it under the desk, clearing enough space for his recorder and the reports on the bombing.

It had only been just over five hours since the attack on the cafe, but already the reports from the various departments had found their way to the security chief's office. As Susan watched him leafing through the papers, she realised that Mars High was a very different place from Babylon 5. T here it often took days for a report to arrive, while here a single incident could cause half a hundred separate reports to suddenly materialise without being asked for.

"Anything I can get you Captain," Frank Cox asked as he located the information he was searching for and put the rest of the papers aside. "A drink perhaps, or maybe something to eat."

"Coffee would be nice," Susan replied as she took a seat in front of the Chief's desk. The seats appeared to be free any clutter, but as far as she could tell they were the only level surface in the office that was not already in use.

"Coming right up," Cox said, and headed off to a side room to prepare the drink. General McCarron poked around the office, looking at some of the reports as if interested, before finally taking a seat next to Susan. Cox soon returned with three cups of coffee and a plate of crackers, with what looked like real cheese on them. Susan gratefully accepted both the cup and the plate, realising that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and that was now many hours ago.

Cox pulled out a large chocolate biscuit from a drawer in his desk and munched on it as he sorted through the papers on his desk, again looking through the reports on bombing. "Now lets see," he mumbled with his mouth still half full of biscuit. He took a sip from his cup before continuing. "According to the reports you met with another woman and talked to her briefly, then as you were making a call four men appeared and started shooting up the place. Does that cover it?"

"Pretty much," Susan agreed, hoping that was all he was going to ask.

Cox nodded. "Good, now who was the woman?"

Susan shrugged. "I don't really know much about her. Her name was apparently Julia Morris and she said she was a lawyer for Futurecorp. She wanted to negotiate to buy the mining rights to a planet called Arisia 3, which she said belonged to me, or rather a company that I owned, although I didn't know I owned it until she told me."

"You didn't know you owned a mining company." Cox said in a puzzled voice.

Susan grimaced; remembering how had felt when she had found out that Marcus had left her his family company. "A friend of mine left it to me after he died, and no one had informed me. That was why I made the call to Babylon 5 to check and see if what she said was true. It was something of a surprise to learn."

"I imagine it would be," General McCarron said as he reached over and took a cracker from the plate she held. "Hell, something like that would certainly surprise me."

"Yes," Cox said softly as he scanned his notes. "Well anyway what happened then?"

Susan thought back for a moment, trying to put the memories of the fight in their correct order. "Well I was speaking to President Sheridan when I heard someone active a PPG, then they started firing. I ducked down behind the counter. When I looked to see what was happening, I saw the four gunmen shooting up the place, and the lawyer firing back with a pistol."

"There were four gunmen?" Cox asked, interrupting her explanation. "Witness reports said there were only three running away from the scene."

"That is because I shot one," Susan explained. "There was an old laser rifle under the counter and I used that to drop one of the gunmen. Then they turned their weapons on me and the lawyer tried to run. She only made it as far as the shuttle bay doors though before they gunned her down."

"And that was when they blew up the cafe?" McCarron asked.

Susan nodded. "Yes, as soon as she was dead they left. I think it might have been because they heard security or someone coming."

"That was some troops who were waiting to board their transport," Cox offered. "They were running to see what happened. My own men were at the other end of the station on another matter at the time so didn't arrive until later."

"Oh," Susan said. "Well, they certainly didn't seem interesting in hanging around so they took off, but not before they threw the grenade into the cafe. That was about all I remember until I woke up and saw all the damage."

"So it looks like they were after the Lawyer then," the General asked. "They only fired at you when you shot one of them."

Susan nodded, "yes that is how I remember it."

"Chief put that in your report then. The gunmen were trying to kill this Julia Morris woman and the Captain here was only in the wrong place at the wrong time. Try and see if you can find out what this lawyers interest in this Arisia planet was, and find out where those gunmen came from."

"Yes Sir," Cox said, quickly typing in a few notes on his desk computer.

"Good, now I have to go. Make sure you check in at the morgue and see if you can find the body of the dead gunman, Captain you can give him a description. Oh and Captain as soon as Frank is finished with you go back to your ship and try to stay out of trouble for a while. The way today has turned out, I don't think we can afford to have you on Mars High."

Susan smiled and nodded at the General's suggestion. She would like nothing more than to be back on the Rasputin now. At least she had a comfortable bed there, and although she had only been on board for less than two days, the ship was already beginning to feel like home. The General was right too, she was a lot safer there, especially as she remembered his warning from earlier that day. She felt her pocket and sighed in relief as she felt the crinkled mass of paper, the list of Clark's conspirators, still safe and intact.

General McCarron stood and saluted the two other officers before leaving on his own errands. Susan and Frank Cox stood as he did and returned his salute before sitting down again. Susan looked longingly at the door for a moment, but stayed, knowing that the security chief would likely have more questions for her before she could leave.

Cox made a few more notes on his computer before turning back to her, and continuing his questioning. "Did you see anyone else around Captain, someone who was acting suspicious and out of place."

Susan shook her head, "I didn't get much of a chance to see what was really going on. In fact I spent most of the time hiding behind the counter in the cafe, trying to avoid being hit."

Frank Cox nodded, as if agreeing with the wisdom of her actions. He scribbled another quick note, this time on a piece of paper before asking his next question. "And did you see any one being hit by gunfire? Apart from this Julia Morris and the gunman of course."

Susan thought back on the battle, trying to look at it as an observer, rather than someone who had been involved in the thick of the fighting. "I think there were four other people hit during the gunfight," she said at last. "There was the cafe owner, a young girl who was a patron at the cafe, and two others who where near the gunmen. I know the cafe owner died, but I don't know about anyone else."

The security chief quickly scanned his note on the numbers of dead and wounded to locate those Susan had identified. "No others Captain?" he asked. "There were more injured and dead than that."

Susan shook her head, "no others, but as I said I didn't get a good look at the fighting, and then they blew up the cafe so I didn't see much more after that."

"Well I just wanted to see what you knew," Cox said. "I guess there is nothing more for now Captain, so you may as well head back to your ship. However, I will have some of my men escort you back to your shuttle. As the general said it is likely that these gunmen were after the lawyer, but just in case I will send some of men along with you while you are here."

"Thank you chief," Susan said. She stood, realising that the interview was now over and, after shaking his hand, left to return to her vessel.

Frank Cox watched her leave, and was not at all surprised to see a green uniformed figure slip into the room shortly after. "What do you want Anderson," he asked testily.

"Just checking up to see if you had any news on my friend who was injured in the little incident this afternoon, like maybe who was responsible."

Frank Cox eyed the telepath with a suspicious glare. He didn't need to be telepathic to know that he was not being told the whole truth about the psi-cop's presence at the cafe. "Nothing so far, but I am looking. Captain Ivanova knew nothing, she didn't see him being injured and was unconscious until we pulled her out of the rubble, so I am afraid she will be little use in your investigation."

Anderson nodded, "I thought as much, still I needed to be sure, she may have seen what happened to him. It is still something of a mystery to the Corp exactly what caused his injuries."

"Why don't you ask him when he recovers," Cox asked.

"Well he may not recover, and if is it important I would like to track down the person responsible now, before anyone else in injured. There is a slim possibility that a rogue telepath may have surprised him, a rogue who could still be lurking on this station, a danger to everyone one here."

Cox shuffled his papers again, silently trying to indicate that this meeting was at an end, and he had important work to do. Anderson however did not take the hint and continued speaking. "Do you have anyone in custody for the attack yet chief?"

"Not yet," Cox sighed, realising that he was going to have to waste more time with the telepath after all. "Although I am sure we will have them soon. Mars is only so big, and they can't hide out down there forever."

"How are you so certain that they are on Mars?" Anderson quizzed, while trying to peek at the security chief's computer screen at the same time. "After all, they could have taken a shuttle somewhere else."

Cox dropped the papers in his hands onto the computer screens that had been built into his desk, hiding what was displayed on them from the curious telepath's eyes. "All outgoing ships since the incident have been checked over by my men, and nothing suspicious has been found. We locked down the station almost immediately and have been checking outgoing vessel before they have departed, so we are now certain that they have not left the station through any of the main bays. They may have slipped off some other way, but how I don't know. It is something of a mystery around here, but rest assured we will find them, they can't get far, and if they are still on the station we should have them before the day is out."

Anderson nodded. "Good, well I want to be informed when they are found, the Corp would like to speak with them."

"You will be the first person I call Mr Anderson," Cox said in a very unconvincing tone of voice. "Now if you don't mind I have to get back to work. After all the more time I have to spend on this investigation the quicker I will find things."

"Of course Mr Cox," Anderson said as he hoped down from his perch on the edge of Cox's desk. "I expect to be kept informed on the investigation as well, tell me everything you find."

"Everything I know, I will pass on to you."

Anderson nodded and slowly left the room, but not before stopping and sending one final comment Cox's way. "I would expect nothing less Mr Cox, after all it was one of my friends who was injured, and even now he is lying in a hospital bed on Mars and may not recover."

Cox watched Anderson's back retreating from his office with barely concealed venom. He knew that the injured Psi-Cop had not survived the attack, and was in fact already dead when he had been taken from the station. He could not help but wonder why the Psi-Corp were concealing that little fact though. Something didn't make sense here, and he would be damned if he was going to give the Psi-Corp any assistance. As far as Frank Cox was concerned, they could find what they were searching for themselves. In fact, it would probably be best if he didn't tell anyone at all about the Psi-Cop being there. That way he could conduct his investigation without any further trouble from outsiders.

There was something about the whole situation that had made Frank Cox want to keep the information he did have to himself, and not tell Anderson or anyone else that the now dead Psi-Cop had been seen alive after the bombing, and did not die from gunshots like everyone else. Of course, he was also completely unaware that his decision to keep silent was not his own. As he had sat in Cox's office, the telepath Anderson had spent the whole time planting a suggestion deep in the mind of the Security Chief. Unfortunately for Anderson though he had done his job too well, and now Cox would not be telling anyone about the Psi-Cop, not even Anderson himself.

The bright sparks from laser welding equipment assaulted Susan's eyes as she stepped from the shuttle onto the solid deck of the Rasputin's main cargo bay. She had chosen to ride in the passenger cabin on the return trip and had at once regretted that decision as she had been bombarded with greetings and stares from members of her new crew, eager to meet their captain. She had gritted her teeth and smiled as pleasantly as she could, before firmly ordering them to leave her alone.

Susan knew that they meant well, but with the recent Shadow War documentaries ISN and some of the other networks had been running she had seen enough publicity to last her for a long, long time. Now all she wanted to do was get back to the more normal life of a starship captain, and leave behind the heights she had gained while on Babylon 5.

Eager to get off the shuttle she had been first through the door as it had landed gently in the docking bay. Now she was picking her way through the piles of cargo that had gathered since she had left earlier today. It had only been a little under 10 hours, but so much had happened in the time she had been away. The ache in her head was one reminder of today's events. Despite the drugs the doctor on the station had given her, the pain was still there. Susan made a mental note to visit Amanda Taylor as soon as possible and see if the Rasputin's doctor couldn't do something. Otherwise, she was going to be cranky for the rest of the day, and her crew would not be getting a very good impression of their captain.

Looking around she was surprised at the amount of cargo that had collected in the shuttle bay since her departure. This morning it had nearly been empty, but now crates and boxes were piled high in every direction and the whole bay was busy with sound and movement as her crew unloaded supplies from one of the two shuttles currently sitting in the bay.

There also seemed a lot more crewmembers around now than there had been this morning. When the Rasputin had left Neptune, it had a skeleton crew of fewer than three hundred, the number that were deemed necessary to operate the main systems during the short trip to Mars. Now there were at least a hundred people wandered around the cargo bay alone, some busy with duties while the rest looked a little lost, wandering around carrying large bags that probably held all their possessions.

Looking around she tried to find someone in charge, and finally spotted Commander Petrov trying to bring some order to the chaos. Quietly she came up behind him and when close enough said softly, "Everything under control here Commander?"

Petrov looked around sharply at the sound of her voice, and for a faint second a look of relief crossed his face before it returned to the normal impassive mask he wore like a second skin. "Captain, I didn't expect you here so soon. We heard about the bombing on the local news earlier today and frankly were a little worried we wouldn't see you again at all."

"Well I got sick of waiting around in the Station Medlab when there was nothing wrong with me," Susan replied. "I didn't really want to spend the night there either, I think I'll be a lot more comfortable here."

"Well I didn't know what to expect when I saw the news. We were all rather worried."

"I am fine now Commander," Susan said to ease his concern. "All I need now is a meal and a good night's sleep."

"I think we can arrange that Captain," Petrov said. "I haven't had anything to eat myself, and if you don't mind I think I will join you. Things have been a little busy around here this afternoon to spare the time for a meal."

Susan smiled as she looked around at the chaos he had been trying to direct. "You wouldn't be trying to avoid your duties now would you Commander. As your commanding officer I have to be very firm about such things."

"Wouldn't dream of doing that Captain," Petrov said, reaching out and grabbing a passing lieutenant by the shoulder. "Besides lieutenant," Petrov quickly scanned the name on the young officer's uniform, "Sloan here will take over for me. Won't you now lieutenant?"

The young man, who looked as though he was just out of the academy, was shocked by being suddenly wrenched away from his stride. Finding himself in the presence of the two highest-ranking officers on the Rasputin his training took over and he executed a perfect salute. "Yes Sir, I am always ready to serve Sir."

Susan hid a smile at the eager way the lieutenant saluted, and the faint tremble in his voice as he probably wondered why he was being singled out. 'It is good to be the captain,' she though to herself with no small amount of amusement. Ten years ago she would have been just like the lieutenant, although she could no longer remember ever being that young. So much had happened over the past few years that her memories of the past had begun to dim, replaced instead with the nightmares of recent times.

"Good lieutenant," Petrov was saying as he handed over the small data pad containing all the shipping orders for the cargo and crew that were now scattered across the shuttle bay. "All you have to do is make sure that everything here is transported to its correct storage bay, and all the new crew are given quarters. All the information is in the data pad, and I will be back to check on you later."

"Umm...Yes Sir," Lieutenant Sloan said with only a little hesitation in his voice. That was all Petrov needed and with Susan following, he walked away from the lieutenant and towards the lift up to the command deck. Susan watched the lieutenant face as she walked after Petrov, noting how his eager smile at being given the responsibility soon faded as he realised just how much work there was to be done.

"It will do him good," Petrov said.

"That's what my superiors told me when I joined up, and look where it got me," Susan responded, neither agreeing with nor condemning the Commander's methods.

"One of the youngest Captains in the alliance, a war hero, and not to mention being the darling of the press. You won't believe how many calls I have had from ISN and the other networks, all wanting an interview about how you managed to survive the bomb blast. If you don't watch it they might start turning you into some sort of god."

Susan grimaced in annoyance. She hadn't wanted the attention ISN had been giving her, and would have preferred it if they had focused on Sheridan instead. After all, she had left Babylon 5 to escape attention and get away from the memories she had from her time there. She didn't need to be reminded every day by the press. It had become worse over the past month as the story from the Shadow War had finally come out and ISN had been running a series of documentaries on the subject. In typical ISN style, they had given the story more romance and drama than had truly occurred and the battles she had remembered had become tales of legend. Still at last the truth was being told, if it had been a little tainted by the propaganda spread by Clark's rule.

"Are you alright Captain," Petrov asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Susan nodded. "I was just thinking Commander. Oh and if any reporters call asking for an interview tell them I am unavailable for comment."

"As you wish Captain, although to be honest they have only been one of the problems we have had around here today. Apart from worrying if my Captain was still alive or not, I've also had to deal with the sudden influx of cargo and crew over the past few hours. I've even had most of maintenance up in arms about Doctor Kozlowski, claiming he keeps stealing their tools. I'm beginning to wish that I hadn't been so quick coming back from the station this morning. Even getting…"

"Doctor Kozlowski has been doing what?" Susan cut in.

"Stealing tools apparently, although he claims he was borrowing them for an important experiment. In the past few hours, he has borrowed nearly every type of cutting tool we have on the ship. No explanation of what he is doing of course, and he never returns them. It is driving maintenance crazy."

Susan shook her head. "I'll have a word with him I think, he has to learn that this is a starship, not his personal laboratory."

"Agreed," Petrov nodded.

By now, they had reached the lift door, and as they waited for it to return to his level, Susan turned to continue their conversation. However, before she could speak, the doors opened and out stepped the object of the thoughts. Kozlowski was busy reading some papers and bumped right into her as he stepped from the lift car, his mind again focused on his work instead of the world around him. Finding the immobile, not to mention shapely, frame of his captain blocking his way, the Doctor looked up with surprise showing plainly on his face. It didn't last long though and instead a look of glee passed briefly over his features. "Captain," he said in an eager tone of voice, one that reminded Susan of a puppy dog begging for a bone. "I was hoping to see you. Apparently I need your permission to go down to the surface."

Susan looked at him slowly, trying to determine what he was up to now. "For what reason Doctor. I need a good reason before I allow you access to one of the shuttles."

"Oh I didn't want a shuttle, or rather I do, but I didn't want one to fly. I only design starships. I can't fly you see. No I just need transport to the surface, either directly, or if that isn't possible then just to the transfer station where I can take a commercial shuttle down to Mars."

Susan looked over at Petrov who quickly answered. "There is a shuttle leaving for Mars High in a few minutes, he can catch passage on that if he hurries."

"Oh good," Kozlowski said as he looked over the bay towards the massive shape of the shuttle sitting at the far end of the bay. "That will do just fine."

He turned to depart, but Susan wasn't letting him go quite so easily. She could see some very good reasons why she would be glad to have Kozlowski away from the Rasputin for a few hours at least, but was worried that he might get into even more trouble on Mars. "What do you need on Mars, Doctor?"

"I just need to visit an old friend of mine, who teaches at the Mars University. I have been having trouble with an experiment of mine, and his lab has recently taken delivery of some specialised equipment that might solve my current problems. I'd like also to purchase a few items before we depart. Nothing really important, Captain, but I would like to have them on board in case of an emergency."

Susan nodded, realising that it was unlikely that Kozlowski was going to be doing anything that would put the ship in immediate danger while he was down on Mars. "Very well Doctor you can go, but we leave soon so don't stay down there for too long. If I have to send someone to fetch you I will be very cross with you."

"I will be very quick Captain, you won't even know I have gone." Kozlowski said, before hurrying off towards the shuttle, which even now was preparing to power up its thrusters ready for departure.

"Humph, that takes care of one problem for a few hours anyway," Petrov muttered under his breath as he walked onto the lift with Susan. The door closed, cutting out the noise of the whining shuttle engines and leaving behind only the faint hum of the lift motors. Petrov sighed, "Well I am certainly glad to be out of that mad house."

Susan smiled, "it certainly seems a little chaotic, but compared to Babylon 5 it seems almost peaceful. At least here everyone is working for the one side."

"True enough Captain. I have never really had a chance to serve on a space station. Well except for a couple of months on one of the deep space outposts, but I guess everyone has to serve on one of them at least once."

Susan nodded, remembering the three months she had spent on the Clementine Outpost, right on the border of Narn space. It was nearly twelve years ago now, but she could still remember the strict conditions on board the tiny station. Still that was a long time ago, and compared to what had happened to her recently having to spend days without speaking was hardly a strain.

"I guess so Commander," she said in answer to his statement.

Then the lift doors opened up as they reached the command deck, cutting short any thought of further conversation. Susan was the first to exit, the pangs of hunger biting deeply. Normally she never felt that hungry and had no trouble keeping to any diet, but for some reason her adventurous afternoon had left her feeling almost ravenous. So enthusiastic was she to get to the officers mess that she almost walked straight into the shapely form of Lieutenant Heneker, the Rasputin's communications officer.

"Captain," the young lieutenant began. "I was just about to come and look for you. I heard that you had returned and thought I should inform you that you have had several urgent calls from President Sheridan of the Interstellar Alliance. He had just called again, and when I told him you had return, he was most insistent that I let him speak to you. I have him on hold at the moment."

Susan looked of annoyance at the interruption quickly faded, as she remembered she had been calling Sheridan when the cafe had been attacked. "Damn, couldn't you have contacted me earlier. If I had know I would have sent a message from the station to tell him I was alright."

"Sorry Captain," Heneker said apologetically. "I tried to raise you but your link didn't respond. Then I heard about the bombing on the station."

Susan clapped her hand over her link, and realised for the first time that it was missing. She must have lost it in the cafe somewhere, and buried in the rubble it would be little use now.

"I bought you another link Captain," Heneker offered. "I thought you might need it. I've also reset the coding so your old link cannot be used by anyone else."

Nodding in acceptance Susan took the new link and pushed it down on the back of her hand, waiting the second or so it took the molecular bonding to take hold before removing her hand. Then, once it was in place, she turned back to the Lieutenant and said, "I will take President Sheridan's call in my quarters. Can you redirect it please."

"Yes Sir," Heneker said with a nod. "I made a recording of his earlier messages, do you want the sent to your console as well?"

"That won't be necessary Lieutenant." Susan replied. "If there was anything important in them then I am sure President Sheridan will mention it when I talk to him. You can delete those messages."

The young Lieutenant nodded and left to make the necessary arrangements.

"Well it looks like I will be dining alone then Captain," Petrov observed as she turned to head towards her cabin instead of the dining room. Just then the door to the officer's mess opened and they could both see that it was packed with newly arrived officers. The resounding sound of Alister Schmitt's voice crept over the general chatter of the mess hall as the fighter commander enlightened the gathered officers with a story of his days as a young fighter pilot in the Earth-Minbari war. Petrov sighed and looked back towards Susan who was watching him with a faint smile. "Perhaps I will wait a little for my meal after all Captain. After a few minutes in the company of Mr Schmitt when he is telling one of his tales and even the cargo bay will start to look good."

"Well perhaps I will see you later then Commander. But now I have someone to talk to, so if you will excuse me."

"Of course captain." Before he could even finish speaking, Susan was gone, hustling towards her cabin. "Oh well, perhaps later then," he said to himself. For a moment, he thought about heading into the officer's mess, but then changing his mind Petrov took the lift back down to the cargo decks.

The vid screen in her officer was displaying a blinking Earth Alliance logo when Susan entered, indicating that a message was waiting. Eventually the crew would decide on an emblem for the Rasputin and then that would be used instead, but until then, they would have to make do with the standard Earthforce insignia.

Sitting herself down in the chair behind her desk Susan let her hair down, and brushed her uniform to try to remove, or at least obscure, some the worst marks on her uniform. As she released her hair and ran her hands through it some of the throbbing pain she had experienced since releasing herself from hospital finally began to fade. She wasn't sure what had eased it, but she was glad for the small relief. She still hadn't had time to see the ship's doctor about more painkillers, but if she were lucky, perhaps the headache would go away. With that in mind, she gently rubbed her temples for a few seconds before answering the incoming call.

As the worried face of John Sheridan filled the large screen, she sat up, her back straight and firm, once again the sight of perfect health. If it were not for the tears in the sleeve of her uniform, and the bloodstains on her leg it would have been difficult to tell she had been in the middle of a bomb blast at all.

"Susan," Sheridan said, looking very concerned. "Are you alright, I thought you were dead for a while there, what with reports of a bomb blast and everything."

"I am fine John," Susan cut him off. "It takes more than a few ruffians with PPGs to stop me. You should know that by now."
Sheridan's manner relaxed somewhat as he saw the fiery spirit of his former first officer was still burning strong. "Good to see you are still in one piece Susan, now to do you mind telling me what the hell has been going on back there."

Susan shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine John. s far as we can tell the gunmen were after the lawyer who was speaking to me. I just happened to be there at the wrong time, that's all."

"So they weren't after you then?" Sheridan asked. "I thought it might have been one of Clark's former allies out to exact some revenge. We have had a little trouble with them out here you know."

"I did see something about an assassination attempt on ISN a few weeks ago. I guess it should be me who is asking if you are ok."

Sheridan looked serious for a moment at the mention of the attempt on his life. "I am fine, fortunately Mr Garibaldi managed to stop him in time."

A brief flicker of a smile graced Susan's face as she thought back to the time she had spent on Babylon 5. She quickly pulled her thought off that train though, as darker images began to creep into her mind. Instead, she asked Sheridan, "How is Garibaldi coping with his new job?"

"I think he will cope, anyway I called to see how you were, not to talk about Garibaldi." Sheridan looked at her closely, eyeing the lower half of her uniform, which was just within his range of vision. "Are you sure you are fine, those look like bloodstains on your leg there."

Susan quickly covered the offending stains with her hand. "It isn't my blood though. I just had a little bump on the head and that is all. The doctor on Mars High said I was fine to leave."

"Well as long as you are taking care of yourself Susan. As I said this morning, you haven't exactly kept in touch over the past few weeks. You seem to be speaking to ISN more than us, so I just wanted to make sure you are still ok."

"I am fine John, I have just been a little busy, what with taking command of a new ship, with an all new crew and everything. And then there is ISN pestering me every waking moment for an interview."

Sheridan looked at her with an amused grin on his face. "I am sure it can't be that bad. After all they haven't been after me that much."

Susan gave a short dismissive snort at that comment. " And I think you know the reason why not."

Sheridan tried to look innocent, but as usual was failing miserably. "You don't think I would abuse my position of power to order the press to leave me alone would you."

"Not in so many words, but you might send Garibaldi to make sure they didn't disturb you. Still I have decided that if I ignore them they will eventually get sick of bothering me, and go off to annoy someone else. It is not as if I have been doing anything interesting since I left Babylon 5."

Sheridan raised an eyebrow. "Well I would call being involved in a gunfight, and then surviving a bomb blast fairly interesting."

"Except for that."

Sheridan nodded in sympathy. In truth, ISN had been pestering her because of her important role in both the Shadow War, and the rebellion against Clark. Her appearances as the Voice of the Resistance had bought her face to the attention of hundreds of thousands across the Alliance, as the public face of the forces opposed to Clark. Now that the civil war was over and the fact she had rejoined Earthforce she was paying the price for that high profile. Whenever ISN or one of the other networks needed someone to interview for one of their documentaries, or special reports she was always highest on the list.

In addition, with Sheridan returning to Babylon 5, those who had supported him in the war against Clark now turned to her. She had received several offers to enter politics for one party or another, but had turned them all down. She had experienced enough politics on Babylon 5, and now was looking forward to the quiet life on board her own warship. At least that had been the plan.

"Anyway I was worried about you Susan. From the look of your last call I thought you might have been killed, and no-one on the Mars station could give me any information."

"As I said John I am fine." She jumped up to her feet and spun around in a circle. "See nothing wrong with me," She said with a broad smile.

"Well take care of yourself Susan. So many have died in the last couple of years, I wouldn't want to lose you as well."

Susan's face lost its humour, "I know John. I don't think I can ever forget those we have lost."

Sheridan nodded sadly for a moment, but then a beeping from his link distracted him. "Looks like I have to go Susan, you take care of yourself, and this time call more often. We miss you back here."

"I will John," Susan raised her hand to wave goodbye, but the link was already lost. She felt the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes as she tried to push aside the memories of the way Marcus had died. Try as she might she could not prevent the sadness she felt returning and a single tear slowly running down her cheek. Angrily she brushed it away, annoyed that she was still upset about the foolish sacrifice Marcus had made for her. That had happened months ago now, and she should be over it.

She waved her hand at the screen and almost shouted, "Off." Then, as the screen when dark she dragged herself back to her feet, and towards the door of her quarters. Opening the door out of her office and into the lounge room beyond, she hesitated for a moment as she saw the unopened crates holding her belongings. She knelt beside the first crate and after opening it pulled out a clean uniform.

Somewhere on this ship, with its crew of over a thousand there would have to be a tailor and laundry for repairing and clearing uniforms. She would have to ask Petrov or one of the other officers about that later. The Rasputin was still very strange to her, a new vessel, and she was going to have to spend time adapting to it routine. Still in time, she would grow used to it, as she had to Babylon 5.

Tugging off her torn and stained uniform she tossed it over a nearby chair and marched off towards the bathroom, and before long was luxuriating in the warm flow of water from the shower. At least there was one thing good about her new vessel, the fact that it, like Babylon 5, had real water showers in the officer's quarters. For a moment, Susan felt a little sorry for the rest of the crew with only their sonic showers. Then she turned up the heat a little and let the warm water wash away all her concerns.