Babylon 5: Deep Range Outpost.
Chapter: One.
Many people know of the name 'Babylon 5', the fifth in the long and failed line of Diplomatic space stations created, owned and operated by the military organisation known as Earth Force. What many people do not know, is that the station itself, was not just one station, but the command station in what was proposed to be a string of stations, scattered across the known galaxy. However, only one such station, beyond Babylon 5 was officially brought on-line, six months before the mother station was brought on-line. Although in the years which had followed the arrival and imminent departure of Commander Jefferey Sinclair and the arrival of his replacement, Captain John J. Sheridan, the second station which had existed out on the rim of known space, had all but been forgotten.
Commissioned by the Earth Senate, just four years after the Earth-Minbari War, considered by the Earth Senate as a gift from the Minbari Government, an old and obsolete outpost of Minbari construction, stripped of almost all technology of old spacefaring race to be retrofit with human technologies, the station was to serve as a distant outpost of the Babylon Project, for a single reason, to assist the Babylon stations by relaying information from the distant rim of known space and to serve as a command post for Earth and aligned vessels in the region. However, with the assassination of President Louis Santiago and the rise to power of his Vice-President, William Morgan Clarke in his place, along with the Civil War which had followed, Deep Range station had been all but forgotten.
This is the story of that one such forgotten station, known as 'Deep-Range'.
Many people had claimed that the station known as Deep Range, looked more an ancient human, children's toy, a spinning top, rather than a military outpost. Less than one mile in height from tip to bottom, a long cylindrical spine-looking structure, separated only by a wide circular, main-body of the station, two-thirds of a mile in width, contained the living quarters and workspaces of the sixty-four individuals who occupied the station at any given time. Commanded by a young and eager officer, less than eight years out of Earth Force training, lieutenant commander Asami Hana had spent the majority of her service to the Earth Alliance working and serving the station, after earning herself a promotion to Junior Lieutenant as a known expert pilot of Starfury class fighters onboard of an Earth Alliance patrol ship, the E.A.S. Wessex, a transfer to the station had quickly followed with the position as second officer of the facility after a mere eleven months as pilot of the vessel's defence squadron.
As a former Minbari station, stripped of almost all technologies with the exception of one vital piece of technology, which had been an integral part of the station's design, an unlike Earth stations including Babylon 5, rotating the station to create centrifugal force gravity, was not required for the small and forgotten outpost as it utilised a form of artificial gravity, which had been quickly discovered by the crew of the station, within hours of taking custody of the station from its former owners and builders.
Stepping through the narrow corridors of her first, true command towards the command center of the station, on a usual, quiet day for the most distant outpost of the Earth Force military, the lieutenant commander continued to read the most recent reports from the parent station, recent if not outdated by several days due to the distance of the station from the majority of the Human species. Finally entering the command deck, a small circular room at the uppermost section of the tall 'Spire' of the station, the commanding officer looked around at each of the usual, five members of her crew to man the command center of the station during the so-called, Alpha shift as each continued to monitor their stations.
"Commander, all is quiet as per usual. Although we picked up some traffic about an hour ago, nothing more than an Omega class passing by in hyperspace. We still have the ship on sensors in hyperspace, if you want to take a look?" Called out an eager, young science officer from his station.
"Seen one, you've seen them all. Did you get an I.D. on the ship and note it in the logs?" Replied the commander, with a sigh, without looking up from her long list of reports.
"Yes sir, it was the Agrippa, and wherever they were going? They seemed to be in a hurry."
"Pick up anything else, unusual out here Tom?"
"Nothing, wait a minute. Picking up activity in the Jump-Gate. Someone is coming through…"
As a small outpost on the rim of known space, the station had been considered by many as less than worthy of anything more than a small jump-gate, often reserved for small planets and colonies. A small, three strut jump-gate, rather than the larger, four strut gate design as used by capital worlds and facilities. Within a matter of moments of the activation of the gate system and the formation of the vortex into hyperspace, a small, alien looking vessel appeared from inside of the vortex before transmitting an identification code to the station's computer network.
"… It's a civilian registered ship Sam, named Spirit Two, owned and operated by a human named…"
"Oh, don't tell me. Emma Wells?" Called out the Commander, with a deep sigh.
"Actually Sam, yes. She's requesting permission to dock and to speak with the Commanding Officer."
"Of course, she does. Alright, don't give my name, just have her escorted to my office next door, the moment she docks and tell no one, to give my name…"
Placing her many reports on the console often reserved for the commander of the station, to the left of the entrance to the command center, a slight smile slipped across her lips as she turned towards the exit of the command deck, before giving her second an order to track the Omega class destroyer's course for as long as possible before leaving the command deck. Directly opposite the command center, a small room once reserved for the Minbari commander of the station, had been previously taken over by the former commander of the station, and occupied by herself, eight months earlier. Stepping into the office, which contained little in the way of her own personal belongings other than a small photograph of herself as a cadet, furnished with nothing more than a small, two seat sofa, a desk with a chair behind and two smaller chairs before the desk. Sitting behind her desk which contained nothing more than a small computer and a large pile of paperwork, the commander turned in her seat to face the wall to await the arrival of the civilian who had requested to speak with the station's commander.
Hearing the sounds of a single person entering the room and the door to her office sliding closed, she remained hidden behind the tall back of the chair, as the civilian pilot stepped before the desk to speak.
"Commander, Commander? I'm sorry to request this meeting so urgently, but I've come from Babylon 5 directly. I've burned up almost all of my fuel to get here so fast. I have a message for you from Captain Sheridan, that he did not want to be sent over the usual channels."
"Why is it, that every message from Sheridan, is urgent?" Whispered the Commander, with a slight smile.
"I don't know Commander. Only that I should personally deliver it to you and no one else. For your eyes only, was his exact words."
"Very well Pilot, leave it on the desk, I'll review it in a moment. Please wait for me in the command center, I may have a reply."
"Forgive me Commander? But I'm out of fuel."
"I'll have your ship refuelled and ready to launch, when I am ready to return a message. Dismissed, pilot."
Once the pilot had left the small office, the commander turned in her seat with a slight smile to see a small, handwritten letter left on her desk, with instructions on where to go and who to give the letter too. Signing slightly, the commander opened the letter and began to read. Shock, fear and every emotion in between, flowed through the young commander as she read the letter twice, to make sure that she was seeing what was handwritten, correctly. After fifteen minutes of gathering her emotions together, the commander left her office only to stand for a moment before the entrance to the command center, as a single tear rolled down from her right eye. Taking a deep breath, wiping the tear from her eye with her hand, the commander straightened her back before entering the command deck.
"Alright everyone, listen up. I have just received a handwritten message from Sheridan at B-Five. It's no secret to everyone here that we don't get much news from back home, but we have all heard whispers over the past several months of something going wrong back home. It seems that someone in the Alliance, at the top level has all but declared war on civilian targets, as such? A handful of colonies have declared independence from Earth, as have a handful of our own ships…"
"What?" Called out Tom, the science officer from his post.
"As such, in the message that I have personally received and verified as in Sheridan's own handwriting, Babylon 5, will soon follow suit if they haven't already…"
"Sam, I've tracked the course of the Agrippa, she's on course for B-Five at maximum speed. If Sheridan is thinking of breaking away? It's my bet that they're on their way to stop him."
"My thoughts exactly. In his letter, Sheridan mentions a General, named Hauge. He has an ally on the Alexander, if he's working with Sheridan, he needs to know that the Agrippa and god knows how many other ships are on their way to stop him. Alert the Alexander, quickly. If we lose contact with Babylon 5, then we're out here alone."
"Sam, I'm sorry to ask this. But how do you know that this message is real?" Politely asked an officer, as he looked at a shocked, human civilian pilot.
"Paul? I've… known the courier, for a very long time. We both trained together at the Academy, before she chose to leave for the civilian life. I trust her, as should you, all of you. Send the message to the Alexander on an encoded channel, warn them of the approaching ships. Emma? Will you follow me."
"Of course, Commander Hana." Replied the pilot, with a slight smile upon her face.
Stepping from the command center and once again back into her office, lieutenant commander Hana stopped inside of the door while the civilian pilot entered with a large smile upon her face. Wating for the doors to close, a moment of silence followed, before the pilot quietly spoke.
"When Sheridan asked me to give that message to the commander around here, he never said it was you Sam."
"Would you have come here, if you knew I was in command?" Whispered the Commander, softly.
"I gave my word to Sheridan to hand deliver that message to the commander of this station, personally. I owe him, remember?"
"I remember Emma, but you don't answer my question. Would you have come here, if you knew that I was here?"
"You already know the answer to that one. It's been six years, since the Wessex. I know, I know that I made a mistake, but…"
"Made a mistake? You almost cost me my career, maybe it did. Maybe that's why I'm out here on the rim, as punishment for happened."
"I doubt that Sam, I doubt that a lot. We were once roommates once at the Academy, best friends, closer than…"
"Yes, and you left the Academy, Emma. We had a plan, remember? And then over a year after graduation, you show up, and it all started up again. I almost lost everything when…"
In the six days since the last sighting of the E.A.S. Agrippa on course to Babylon 5 at maximum speeds, it had seemed as if all contact with Babylon 5 and the rest of the galaxy had been lost by the small crew of the most distant outpost of the Earth Alliance, as they struggled to ascertain exactly what had happened on Babylon 5, their command-and-control center. Countless emergency meetings had been called by the command staff, as they tried to understand exactly what had happened. However, as many had claimed, everything had begun to change with the arrival of just one person aboard of the old alien outpost, a young human female pilot and courier, named Emma Wells. Once again enduring yet another emergency meeting of the highest-ranking members of the crew, along with the civilian pilot, it had seemed as if just one pair of eyes had rarely moved from Miss Wells, perhaps the only person other than the Pilot herself and the lieutenant commander to have known the full effect of her presence around the commander herself.
"… And as such Sam? I've put in calls to just about everyone I can back home and other commands, no one is talking, not even responding. What the hell is going on out there?" Politely asked, the communications officer.
"I don't know Paul, but I intend on finding out. I want a ship prepped and ready to launch as soon as possible and with extra tanks and enough fuel to make it to B-Five and back." Ordered the Lieutenant Commander, before the elderly Chief of Security finally spoke, without moving his eyes from the civilian pilot.
"Asami, that's an eight-day journey in hyperspace for a shuttle. And we have no idea what is happening out there, for all we know? We could be at a state of war with someone out there."
"I understand that Eric, but we need to know what the hell is going on out here. I know it's a long haul for a shuttle, and we have a ship permanently docked for defence, but if we are at a state of war with another species and they come for this station? We'll need the Corvette for defence."
"Asami, I know that I'm not a member of this crew and have no voice, and perhaps the last person that either you or Eric want to see here? But my ship is fully fuelled and ready, and she is a lot faster than a shuttle. I can take you to Babylon 5 in four days." Replied the short, pale skin toned, red haired woman with a slight smile.
"Absolutely not…" Cried out the Chief of Security, instantly. "… I will not allow the Commander, to board your ship, with or without an escort."
"Eric? As much as I hate to say it, Emma is right. It's the logical option. Her ship isn't Human built, but it is civilian, and not even the Corvette can make it that far in four days. Emma, prep your ship to launch and let me know when you're ready. Dismissed, Eric? You stay, we need to talk."
Almost one hour of private conversation between the Chief of Security and the Lieutenant Commander had aired private concerns from the Chief Warrant Officer, Eric Lutz. Concerns mainly of his commanding officer and friend of many years, spending several days alone on a vessel with the only person in the known galaxy to have almost destroyed Asami Hana's career not once, but twice. An incident from as far back as the Earth Force Academy, during their final years of training, before the Commander and Chief had first met, to the last incident onboard of an Earth Alliance vessel, the Wessex after assisting a stricken civilian passenger liner, on which Emma Wells was a junior crewmember.
"Eric, I know of your concern for me, but I have it under control. There is more at stake here just my career. We've been cut off from everyone, both back home and command and control. If Emma's ship is as fast as she claims? I should be back in eleven, maybe twelve days. One way or another, we need to know what is happening, and I need your trust in me."
"It's not you I don't trust Asami, it's that Kryptonite of yours, out there. I didn't believe you, when you told me about the Academy, but I was on the Wessex, I saw what happened to you, and how you've managed to claw your way back since. You've worked so damned hard over these past six years and let's not forget that I was the one who pulled you back up after you fell."
"I know Eric and I owe you for everything you've done for me. Hell, you even followed me here, to the hind-end of space. I just need to speak with Sheridan and his people in person to find out what the hell is going on. I have it all, under control, trust me?"
The launch of a small, dark green, almost arrowhead shaped vessel with slender wings, heralded the departure of the commanding officer of the station, for the first time in almost five years, and onboard of a vessel owned and operated by the one person in the universe to have almost destroyed the career of the commander. Leaving the small station under the command of the second in command, and the chief of security, had been the only viable way that the commander could leave the station in the best possible hands from her small crew. Sighing deeply as he watched the vessel disappear into the event horizon of the three-strut jump-gate, the chief warrant officer felt the eyes of every member of the command crew watching him, as he turned.
"Chief, I have a question. When you said that Miss Wells was Kryptonite, what does that mean?"
"You should read more, Paul. Two hundred years ago, a super-powered alien being who came to earth as an infant, after his home world was destroyed. As an adult, he was the most powerful being on the planet, he protected the planet and its population from crime and so on, nothing on the planet could harm him and those like him. Of course, there was something which could, a radioactive element from his home world…"
"Why have I not heard of this before?" Called out a junior officer, from her station.
"It's from a comic-book Susan, a form of entertainment where stories are drawn in pictures… you get the idea."
"Exactly Paul. The radioactive element, fell to Earth in rocks, it was called Kryptonite. When in close proximity to the being, it weakened him and his kind, could even kill him. Emma Wells, has that same effect of Asami Hana."
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but how Eric?" Called out the First Officer.
"Hana and Wells were once roommates at the Academy. One night after a party, they made a single mistake and slept together, against regulations. However, this was not just a one-time thing, their relationship carried on in secret for a further three months. Hana ignored everything and everyone around her, even her classes. She became insubordinate, either late or not showing up for classes at all. At least until their relationship was discovered by the Academy. They gave them a choice, end their relationship or leave the Academy. Hana stayed and fought back with her classes; Wells left. almost two years later, after graduating and serving as a junior officer and Starfury pilot on the Wessex, we encountered a civilian liner which had lost all navigational control while in hyperspace. The ship was rescued and brought back to the nearest facility for repairs. Wells was a junior member of that ship's crew. It didn't take long before their past relationship reignited, along with Hana's pattern of self-destruction."
"I understand, so why would you let her leave with that woman, knowing full well what may happen, Chief?" Called out the acting commanding officer.
"When Sam took this posting as lieutenant junior and second officer, she asked me to come with her, a few months later. I was close to retirement at that time anyway and I thought, why not? A quiet little outpost with nothing more to do than to sit and read. When I got here, I saw the place that she was in, she was a mess but hiding it from many around her. It took almost a year to break her out of her depression and just as long to settle her down. She's made amazing strides in these past years. This morning, I saw her self-control when Wells was around her. Besides, she's also right about speaking with Sheridan, in person."