Chapter 21
"Fear"- Part 1
(One Side of the Coin)
Earth:
Like any good politician, President Clark knew that good news traveled fast, but bad news traveled like lightning. Now he literally shook in anticipation as he waited for the first reports that the Centauri homeworld had been struck. Morden had given him his promise that the Centauri wouldn't be a problem anymore. His Advance Destroyer Group would take the credit and his deteriorating political power base would start firming up. Once that happened and the Centauri war finished, he would place all of his power to bear on B5 and get rid of them once and for all, before they became to great a threat. Now if would only Charlotte would do her job at least one problem would be solved. One less menace to worry about, he believed. If she failed her mission he was sure that Sheridan wouldn't retaliate immediately. He didn't have the strength to directly strike back-yet.
For days, he and his most trusted staff had reviewed every frame of the Proxima III battle with particular attention focused on the Enterprise and its squadron's activities. The so-called White Stars were interesting, looking very much like Minbari ships. Fast and maneuverable, their weapons were frighteningly strong for something that size. Each one was able to handle a Drakh destroyer one-on-one; something that an EA destroyer had extreme difficulty doing. Plus the ships possessed some sort of shielding that helped to protect them from the savage counterstrikes from the Drakh vessels. The resistance destroyers employed some sort of high-speed, high-yield missile attacks against enemy targets in which the results devastatingly effective. Those missiles were not as strong as the Federation terror torpedoes, but they were very effective against the Drakh. Those same ships possessed nonstandard energy weapons that analysis believed were precursors to the phased-energy weapons of the Federation. The energy signature was very similar to the new weapons on the upgraded Raneko-class Monsoon gunboat fleet-one which was under the command of Captain Higgins-now patrolling Earth's solar system in place of the destroyers now being assigned to other postings. Those gunboats with their new weaponry could stand up to a Hyperion attack cruiser with ease. The new polarized plating was inferior to that found on Higgins' stolen Thunderbolt II, as was the inertia gravity and the weapons tracking systems, because the computer control system hadn't yet been properly back-engineered; but still, it was a quantum leap forward for Earth's research and development. Plus the EA now had artificial gravity.
The stolen Thunderbolt's innovations helped to improve the EA fighter's offensive and defensive capability to the point that the Earth made analogs now beginning production were nearly on par with the dreaded Minbari Nial fighters. Instead of a twelve to one kill rate of Nial to Starfury, it dropped to merely three to one. Again back-engineering was the main culprit. Higgins fighter's computer system was Federation, which in this case meant alien. Some of the chips used by the combat computer, being duotronic in nature, were so advanced and so completely different, that Earth scientists were having trouble duplicating them. Those chips went in a completely new direction, compared to EA technology. But Research & Development were close to a breakthrough and more was being learned about those chips every day. And it had the inherent advantage being easier to work with than the completely alien Shadow technology it quickly replaced. And it was safer.
The actions of the Enterprise precipitated a mild uproar among his advisors and military staff. Most of the ship's action was missed by the cameras recording the battle. When on the move it was simply too fast to properly track. The action picked up considerably when it defended itself against the four Drakh destroyers trying to destroy it. The sheer power of the energy beams gutting the Drakh ship fueled Clark's lust for it. It was power on a scale that he never dreamed of and he was obsessed with the need for power. He wanted what Sheridan had, what should have been his and his alone. Hungry eyes devoured scene after scene of the Enterprise as it flashed from view, disappeared and then just as suddenly reappeared next to his fleet after first traveling in the opposite direction in less than a second and a half. The speed and potential of that small ship intoxicated the man. It wasn't like shadow technology, so alien that he couldn't touch it, but it was something made by human hands and he wanted it so badly. Then reality rushed in and he cursed. It was Sheridan's and Clark feared and hated him for it.
The president and his staff plotted for five hours. In the end they came up with nothing. Disgusted, the President dismissed them all from his sight. Alone, Morgan Clark started writing in his private diary. His hands shook in frustration; he could barely write. It was all so close yet he could feel it slipping away, like trying to hold water in shaky hands. Or, like washing all of the blood from his hands not that he really cared about the blood.
That was a means to an end.
-His ends.
***
In his office, the central tele-view was always on and tuned to ICN. There were several other monitors on simultaneously and he monitored them all intently. One never knew when something subversive would pop up. However there was one monitor he hated and that one was tuned to the BABCOM resistance channel. His people couldn't jam it no matter how they tried. They couldn't even stop it at the source. There was something powerful feeding the station enough energy to once more humiliate Earth technology. At first, it was naturally assumed that those interfering Feds were behind it all; after all they all but destroyed his relations wit Psi-Corps with that humiliating transmission. But it was finally determined that it was coming from somewhere else. The population was ordered to not to listen to that channel under threat of severe punishment, but that was a laughable exercise if there ever was one. Even he allowed himself a slight smile when he had issued the orders. Eventually, viewing the station had turned into an infatuation and constantly watching it caused his eyes to hurt because he was focused on the viewer while doing other things. It was the harbinger of bad news and he didn't dare miss being out of the loop.
Clark controlled ICN but BARC gave out better and more detailed information because his people weren't controlling it. It was like an addiction to him now and the way things went these days, he fully expected that he would hear of the Centauri strike on the BARC almost before he would receive EarthForce's report.
The story broke that next afternoon.
The first thing that caught his tired eyes was the actual sight of a shadow vessel holding station near B5. It faced the Enterprise-literally dwarfing the Federation ships, yet he could almost feel the tension between the two ships as if they were living beings. For an irrational instant, he thought this was a prelude to an attack, one that would rid him of those aggravations once and for all. But then reality hit. BARC was still on the air.
"The mysterious aliens know only as the Shadows made a surprised visit to Babylon Five yesterday and brought stunning information concerning a war brewing on the edges of known space," the woman on the monitor said. He knew her to be Susan Ivanova, another one of Sheridan's higher echelon lackeys.
"The Shadows have been implicated by the majority of alien races as the behind-the-scene instigators of the barrage of wars, including the Earth civil wars, that have broken out within the last two years. We have recordings of the conversation between the Shadows, Captain John Sheridan, and others who participated in the talks. All of the talks are being broadcasted in their entirely to the ships and crews of EarthForce and the resistance and to anyone who wishes to view it. There will be no editing so that-issues- will not be confused."
Clark's hair would have stood on their ends, if he hadn't been sweating so hard. He knew a setup when he heard one and this had all the makings. Sheridan was making a direct connection between his relationship with the Shadows and the death of President Santiago. He could see it coming but there was nothing he could do except to try to minimize the damage.
The images shifted to the interior of the station and he for the first time he really saw the beings known as Shadows. They were frightening creatures and even on the monitor their intelligence show through. Were these the beings he had dealt with for so long?
Yes.
No wonder Morden never spoke much about his associates. Clark cursed himself for a fool by allowing that man to seduce him. He seethed for revenge. His mind was in such frenzy that he nearly missed the next portion of the report.
"We have been attacked by a plague formulated by the Vorlonsss," one of the creatures said in translated English. "The plague hasss come to dessstroy. Many have fallen. Unlesss you prepare, you will all die."
Then General Leftcourt was speaking. "Who will die?" he asked.
Why did it have to be him? the President raged.
"Everyone," came the answer.
"Why am I shaking," Clark asked himself. Surely he didn't believe any of this would affect his control, speaking of while he needed to call the riot police to rigorously enforce the rules against the disturbances he knew would come after this broadcast.
"Why should we believe you?" Sheridan yelled at the creature. Clark could see that the man was furious. "You have been starting wars, pitting one race against another, causing the deaths of millions, all in an attempt to prove your petty theories that your way is better than the Vorlons. But now you've wiped them out and you're still manipulating us."
"You are wrong, Ssseeridan," the second creature hissed back. "Sssurvival comesss through ssstrife…Cartagia, your Presssident and othersss were the catalysstsss usssed to make you ssstronger."
The President of EarthGov froze. "What had that creature just said?" he mumbled. "Oh, no."
"Are you saying that Cartagia and Clark were involved with you?" Sheridan asked so loudly that the walls seemed to shake.
Clark was sure that the volume had been raised and it took everything he had to keep from shooting the monitor with his personal firearm. "You sssuspected thisss long ago, Ssheridan," the Shadow said for all to hear.
"…It's not just our mess. It's yours, too. My associates made sure of it," Morden now said. "Clark owed us a favor, a big one," he continued, smiling confidently. "Right now he's sending a fleet of ships to surprise attack Centauri Prime. He expects that my associates will help him as they did on numerous occasions. What they will find is something else."
"Why are you betraying Clark?" Sheridan asked.
The President nearly choked. Sheridan was so dead…
"His importance has diminished in light..."
Clark was no longer listening. He had been set up and betrayed, manipulated into fighting a war with creatures worse than the Shadows. In his mind he imagined the scenario that must had occurred. His forces must have encountered them. There had to be a fight. It was the almost the same thing that started the Minbari war. Now, there was no way he could keep this from being blown out of proportion. To save their own necks, the Senators might be coming after him to remove him right now, if he didn't do something quick.
He picked up his phone.
"Get me General Hassan." He needed to know what had happened before the whole galaxy saw it on the Babylon resistance station first. And if they dared complained against him, then he would remind them of the failsafe.
***
Centauri Prime:
Deep within a secured bunker, Cartagia and his staff huddled over reports and vid communications while above Centauri Prime's royal city burned. There were ten million confirmed dead and the count rose with every hour, with an expected final tally of close to one hundred fifty million.
"Who were they?" Cartagia voice was quiet almost reserved as he poured over the magnitude of the destruction.
For the perhaps thirtieth time, the answer came back as unknown. The seven ships simply popped into Centauri space in the middle the battle fleet and started firing at everything within range. Within moments, several Centauri ships-of-the-line orbiting the planet were in ruins. The element of surprise gone, the Centauri began to strike back at their unknown enemy, but their close range weapons were barely effective. Two of the enemy warships fired some type of weapon that scorched space clean of all the launched Sentri fighters vectoring in on them in addition to two Vorchans and one Primus. It was like nothing anyone had seen before. The energy blast continued on and struck its primary target, the royal city.
They weren't Shadows.
From the reports received, the flash was barely noticeable. But the effect! The city and surrounding area seemed to melt before the witness's eyes. Whatever hit them was especially dirty from all initial reports. His people were dying from some type of radiation poisoning to a radius of approximately two hundred fifty miles from the point of impact. Then as suddenly as it began, the attack stopped and the enemy simply accelerated away and left. No jump points were detected, but neither did they appear to enter light speed like the ships near B5.
There were other, unauthorized alien ships in the area but they were also attacked and had apparently fled. Fear gripped him for an instant as the full import of the report slapped him. Unconfirmed reports indicated that they were EarthForce, modified with shadow-like armor ships. They were there to attack Centauri Prime with a hit and run attack but were stopped when this mysterious new enemy attacked them as well.
He felt abandoned, first by his people, then those incompetent military officers. This should have never happened, not with the power at his fingertips. Why did the Drakh leave and where were the Shadows? Morden promised him victory. And what happened to those ten ships that Morden had 'requested' to go to Z'ha'dum? There were too many questions that needed to be answered. He wasn't safe. There was nowhere for him to go to escape, if that became necessary. As the Humans said, there were too many bridges burned in between.
The whole situation was intolerable. He could have very easily been killed and how would his ascension to godhood have been achieved then? Cartagia had to get off Centauri Prime before the aliens came back with more ships to finish what they started. His own forces, spread throughout the empire, had been inadequate to handle this new enemy. They were loyal and courageous but his biggest and best warships, the pride of the Centauri fleet had been swatted around like toys. The attackers knew this and if they returned in force…
Protectorate Operations were scrambling, trying to determine who the aliens were and how they got into protected space without being detected. It was eerily similar to what the Klingon ship had done on several occasions. Eventually the hyperspace sensors were modified enough to detect those animals when their ship was in warp, but it underscored a theory that the military was circulating. The form of propulsion that these new aliens used, were yet again different from either standard jump space or the newly discovered subspace techniques employed by the associates of the Babylon station.
"Re-enforce our defenses on all properties and colony worlds. This may have been a random attack, or a probe on our defenses, which have been found wanting," he fumed. Inwardly, he smiled at the way his Generals quaked at the sound of his voice.
Several hours later another entered Centauri space. It was jet-black, Primus shaped and badly battered. It produced a recognition signal and escorted to the nearest military base. The Captain and crew of the lone surviving vessel of the Centauri expedition to Z'ha'dum reported directly to General Vida.
***
"You're speaking an untruth," Cartagia said. "The report is a lie. Z'ha'dum hasn't fallen. I want to this Captain Treanir now."
The man was ushered into his Emperor's presence. Strangely, he showed no fear in his leader's presence. "
"Speak to me."
"At your order, we proceeded to Z'ha'dum where our ships were refitted with Shadow technology to balance out the advantage the humans had made in developing Shadow technology."
"I am aware of this," Cartagia whispered dangerously.
The captain didn't seem to take the hint, or else he didn't care. "These aliens are a terror, my Emperor. They attacked Dum and now it is theirs. The Shadows, Drakh and their allies, couldn't muster a proper defense in time. Many of them were turned and fought against their own kind due to some kind of alien influence. They're telepathic and many were subverted to their cause. They stripped the secrets of those they had taken over and have attacked their planets. I killed several of my own crew who were lost to these influences. All of our ships but this one, were destroyed. They are powerful and they have shields; screens like those of the Starfleeters. Our ships fought back with the rest, but their weapons were too powerful. We knew the battle was lost and all of us scattered. But the creatures know where we are. They are coming and they will kill all of those they feel are a threat. They will destroy the strongest of us first and then everyone else. Only they are worthy, and they are coming here."
"They've already been here."
"It must have been a scouting party. We must come together and fight them or we will die."
"Do you dare dictate policy to me?" His voice was low, dangerous.
The almost glassy-eyed Captain could have cared less apparently. "My Lord," he said, trying again to get the point across once more "They wiped out everything in their path. Nothing could long stand against them for long. We, all of our forces, were unprepared for such a sudden assault. I witnessed Shadow vessels incinerated, their home world struck repeatedly with explosions that rivaled anything I could have imagined. Our defenses were uncoordinated, ineffective against such power."
Cartagia nodded despite his anger. "The Shadows are the most powerful race that has ever walked this universe," he said. "They couldn't defend their own planet against a small invasion force that dared to enter their space? I find that difficult, captain," he murmured. "I find that almost as difficult as trying to find a trace of amusement in your insolence." He let the insinuation hang. "What are you saying, Captain Treanir, is it?" he asked waving his hand slowly. "The Shadows, gods that stride this universe, couldn't stand against this new group of aliens?"
The response was immediate. "It took too long to destroy their larger warships and they overwhelmed everything that came against them. Dozens of the enemy ships were destroyed and still, they came through the gate. We all tried-"
But Cartagia wasn't listening, neither was his command staff
"Gate, what gate?" Vida demanded.
"It's in the report," the Captain replied. "They came through a device. At first we thought it was a jump gate of some kind, but the energy readings were magnified beyond anything that I've ever seen. My people were unable to determine if the gate, as we called it, allowed these beings access from distant part of the galaxy or even further."
"Do you have the recordings?"
"Yes," Treanir responded. "All of our recordings have been made available."
"I'm relieved that you did something right," Cartagia snarled. He was tired and this man irritated him. Let the military deal with this because he had other things to worry about.
"There is one more thing, my lord."
Cartagia sighed. He really didn't like this Captain.
"The closer we were to the gate, the more I could feel them in my mind." Cartagia watched as the man shivered at the thoughts. "They're massing. When they are ready, they may well be unstoppable."
Treanir's eyes were pulled towards the strange shuttle outside resting on the courtyard. They reminded him of something. Yes, it was the Klingon design that caught his attention. But it looked far more elaborate. "Is that a Klingon ship?"
"No," Cartagia told him. "We have been told that it is one of the Vulcan shuttles onboard the Enterprise that has been spying on us. Their ship's power died and we caught them. It's such a fortunate gift. Our people will move it to a secured facility and we will tear it apart and discover for ourselves the secrets it possesses. The shields will be very useful and the weapons as well. We can study it and thereby become an even greater power in this universe. The crew is mine to do with as I will and I shall drain them of every bit of knowledge and one day they and their people shall drown in their blood. No more will We have to bow down to the likes of the Minbari. We will not need the Drakh anymore, the cowards." Personally, We are surprised that the Drakh abandoned us in our time of need."
"Their forces are concentrated against this new enemy. They will not be back to aid us."
Cartagia smiled at the captain. "In a short while," he said pointing at the shuttle. "We won't need their help. The Centauri will ride the wind to victory."
Treanir, like the others didn't respond. There wouldn't be enough time and there was another enemy to contend with, knocking at the front door.
***