Chapter 29

"Congregation"

"ISN news special update: Assault on planet Earth. "I'm Terry Lynde."

"And I'm Robyn Kelley, reporting here at ISN news. The entire membership and staff of ISN wishes to thank the people who have supported and helped us in these difficult times. Many of us have been imprisoned or have been declared missing and presumed are dead. We-we have regained the freedom to tell the truth again and we are very glad to be back. We will not forget and we promise that this will never happen again.

The reign of terror is now over. Many people died and our hearts go out to them. But the war has just begun. The Clark régime has fallen, but Earth has paid a terrible price in regaining that freedom. Three days ago, a race called the Drakh attacked and nearly decimated the combined forces of Earth Alliance, as we prepared to go on the offensive against the Centauri Republic. That was the official EarthDome spin that we were forced to report by President Clark. But according to official sources those reports were incorrect.

With his ever growing fleet of advanced ships supplied by the Minbari and the United Federation of Planets as represented by Captains Jean-Luc Picard, Rachel Garrett and Benjamin Sisko, EarthDome was preparing for a pre-emptive strike. President Clark's orders were to attack and if necessary destroy Babylon Five and any resistance encountered there. The station constituted a growing threat to his powerbase and according to his recently discovered personal notes; it was believed that Captain Sheridan, Commander of the Babylon station would attempt to take over EarthAlliance. Experts are already vigorously disputing those claims.

As of now, President Susanna Luchenko has ordered a complete cessation of hostilities with the resistance members and the colonies that fought against Clark's forces, to officially begin in five days. The new President has also reached out to the Centauri, who have responded by offering a complete unconditional cease-fire. EarthForce has confirmed the Centauri homeworld was attacked by unknown forces and a portion of their home world was ravaged by enemy fire. Terry-"

"After the fight against the Drakh, things took a turn for the worse. President Clark turned the G.O.D. system against Earth in an unsuccessful attempt to force EarthForce to capture or destroy yet another Federation starship, the USS Voyager. The attempt failed and under the guns of both the EF and Federation, the G.O.D. system was disabled and destroyed thereby saving as much as thirty to forty percent of the planets surface targeted for destruction. Clark and several of his administrative staff have been detained at an undisclosed location.

But Earth is now under total and complete quarantine. There have been a hundred thousand deaths directly attributed to the disease itself. Millions are on the verge of panic and there have been large-scale riots throughout North and South America and Indonesia. The Chinese Associated Republic and the Russian Consortium are reporting generalized unrest but few serious problems at this time. There have been several attempts by private space yachts to escape the quarantine but those vessels were either forced to return to Earth or have been shot down. Doctors from all over the Alliance have offered to help us combat this deadly biological attack and are working hard to discover the root cause of the disease that has afflicted us all. The Federation starship Voyager has offered their help and medical expertise to combat this calamity.

So far the epidemiology has not been determined and medical staffs from both EarthDome's best facilities and the Federation are rushing to complete a research Center to study the disease that has infected our world...

In related news, President Luchenko, who as been affected by the Drakh plague, has officially requested help from any race who have either witnessed or have seen this particular disease. She also urged calm, assuring the people that all that can be done is being done...

Babylon Five:

Finally!

"We can have this finished in three days," foreman Rowansky said. "Environmental Health and Safety has certified that this upgraded reactor is safe and we can therefore install it."

"What took it so long?" asked an exasperated Susan.

"Nothing gets moved until it's certified," the foreman countered. "You know the rules. We don't touch nothing until we get the okay. Alien invasion or not, union rules are union rules."

"And of course this had nothing to do with the contract talks," she murmured. Despite everything going on here, the unions had to get their two credits in.

"On my word of honor-we could never consider such a thing," the short bald man responded looking indignant at the very idea. "Besides, we're only talking a seven percent increase retroactive to the beginning of the civil war. It's not that much and B5's been real good to us."

Susan kept her face as neutral as she could. The union talks had gone rather well and since the Feds had come, money had been a secondary consideration (considering the fact that the replicators replicated gold and platinum among other things-information that only a few were privy to). Solvency at B5 was not a problem. Medical insurance cost had shrunk considerably as other concessions increased, including extravagant amenities in the workers living quarters. The workers didn't even complain about the food ­–courtesy of the replicators–being provided to them for free as part of B5's appreciation of everything that the unions had done since the occupation. She doubted that many of them would want to leave their jobs after the civil war was over.

And that was the big if. Earth was in trouble, just when the war was close to ending, the Drakh had come and hurt EarthForce. Then Clark tried to kidnap the new Feds. It was all so insane and she wanted to be there to see how it turned out. But the station needed her talents in order to keep running. The new shield generators and their power supplies had to be installed as soon as possible, taking about a week to complete. The unions would do this under the Feds watchful eyes. Both the Feds and the unions on B5 got along well but the rule' thou shalt not mess with union labor' still applied.

When dealing with the mess that was Babylon Five, this wasn't bad. What she was more concerned about was the protection of the station. Defenses were improving dramatically and the newest StarFuries were being replicated quickly now, being passed on to several of the most trusted of the soon-to-be-ex resistance vessels. She really didn't know what to think concerning that about that. One wrong move here and the result would be disastrous. But Sheridan and the others didn't really have a choice.

She had just gotten used to her second generation StarFury before this newest product had emerged. No doubt about it, she loved her newest fighter, but it was a speed demon, that could kill you in a second if you weren't careful. And she was worried how the Minbari would react to this. They were already twitching when the first upgrade was seen holding its own against the Drakh. Those modified StarFuries were better than the Nials. Susan doubted that the Minbari would like this development at all when they found out.

The woman sighed. They'd get to that problem soon enough.

"Did I say something wrong?" Rowansky asked.

"No, no. It's a lot on my mind, that's all."

"I can understand that." He looked at her, his entire demeanor changing form bravado to concern. "Is it true about what happened on Earth? Did the Drakh spread some kinda plague?"

"Yes," she acknowledged sadly. "We don't know the extent of the damage but it looks pretty bad."

"It's good that ISN is back," he said sarcastically. "We needed another legitimate reason to get depressed. This ain't over yet is it? It's gonna get worse."

For a moment she was silent. "We need those generators installed as soon as possible," was her only answer.

Grim-faced, he nodded and ordered his men to hurry up with the installations.

"They'll be here in five minutes," Lieutenant Corwin said. There are two more behind them. One looks like an Explorer. The other's an Omega."

"We better get ready."

"Yes, Sir."

--

In CnC, Michael Garibaldi was busy doing a few final preparations for the inevitable himself. Twelve of the newest Starfuries were being transferred to the Omega destroyer Titanus. With the exception of the mini warp engines attached to the rear of the Thunderbolts, the ships looked identical to their earlier models. The vessels were lined up and patiently awaiting their turn to enter the Omega's docking bay. The mixture of both the second and third generation Thunderbolts were going to come as a rude shock to anyone that went up against them.

But to everyone's chagrin, EarthForce R & D weren't sleep either. The Shadow StarFuries and the design innovations gleaned from the stolen v2 StarFury were being incorporated as fast as possible. So far only the powerplant, an upgraded fusion reactor designed after the original, and primitive polarized plating had been installed. Those two technologies increased survivability by over twenty-five percent. However the upgraded sensors and weapons weren't developed enough to the point where an EF version could fit inside the fighter.

Impressed as she was by the v3 fighters, Charlotte Clark however wasn't convinced that the new v2 fighters were better than her Shadow based StarFuries. The argument between her and Sandra had become so heated that Garibaldi had suggested a friendly competition between the two of them.

The standard Thunderbolt or Aurora class StarFury stood little chance of defeating its Shadow-based counterpart either in weaponry, speed, endurance, or survivability. The v2s were another story. In six simulated dogfights, the v2s defeated the S-Starfuries four times. It had been determined that the quality and experience of the pilot was a big factor in determining the outcome. Polarized plating overcame simulated shadow armor another factor that decided the contest. The biggest improvement the v2s had going for them was the standoff and delivery capability of the v2s, a tremendous advantage that Hiroshi magnanimously waved off in order to make it a fairer contest.

Despite his lack of trust concerning Charlotte Clark, he had to admit albeit with reservations, that the Captain was not her cousin. She was slowly wedding (more like getting pulled kicking and screaming) herself to B5 and more ways than one. She had chosen to remain behind when Earth was attacked rather than taking the three-day journey to Earth to participate in a battle that would have been decided long before she got there. Besides she was more interested in what was happening to the EA jumpgates. Another had been destroyed and she was going to investigate with White Star Two and two more of the former resistance Omegas and the tiny United Planet Cruiser C57-D flying saucer. The Sinhindrea's agenda was clear enough. They were trying to isolate Earth. They were already engaged in hit and run attacks at the Centauri home world, with both the Centauri and the Minbari getting the worst of the exchange.

He felt her before the jumpgate signaled its activation. She's here! His heart seemed like it wanted to tear itself from his body.

"Jumpgate activation."

"Its Ambassador and Enterprise," he whispered before he even saw the ships. Both ships sailed through the gate and he winced as he looked at the damage inflicted on the Federation battleship. White Star Three followed right behind.

The jumpspace interface closed but immediately the jumpgate struts began widening, separating from one another to allow something much large to come through. "It's the other ship, Sir," Corwin announced. "Reactors are powering up. It's definitely the Cortez."

The huge Explorer-class ship, almost as long as B5 eased into its position some ten kilometers from the station. Originally its Captain had intended to head to Earth, but changed his mind as events continued to play themselves out.

"The other ship is coming through."

"Busy day today."

"Tell me about it," he responded. "This is Babylon Five. Please identify yourself."

"Babylon Five, this is the Earth Alliance ship Odysseus, Captain Laurel Takashima commanding."

"Laurel?" On the screen appeared a no-nonsense, very beautiful woman. The Security Officer couldn't help it. He was beaming all over the place.

"Michael? Michael! God, it's good to hear your voice!"

"What are you doing here?"

"We've been on a deep space mission for the last year and a half," she answered brightly. "As you can guess, our ship is not at its best right now. 'What's going on? We've been getting transmissions about some type of insurrection for the last six months."

Garibaldi was shocked. "Where have you been? Earth has been in a civil war for almost over a year."

"We've been following up rumors concerning a lost civilization," she answered. "Supposedly they developed technology that would astound even the Minbari. Normally an IPX ship would have been sent out but we were traveling through some wild territory. They modified this ship to serve as a long ranged explorer-warship."

"Find anything?"

"Of course," she replied. "But that's for later. Right now, I want to know what is going on. This place is so packed I'm surprise we even have a place to park our ship. Permission to shuttle over."

"Stay where you are. I'll get back to you in a moment." He cut the channel, smiling somewhat sheepishly. Corwin was looking at him, curious. "Captain Takashima was the First Officer of Babylon Five when we first opened for business. That was a little before your time. She was here when Ambassador Kosh was poisoned and the Vorlon fleet was trying to decide whether to blow us to kingdom come. Lock on to her bridge and contact the Odysseus."

"Captain," Michael said. "Don't worry about the shuttle."

--

Laurel was rather perplexed. From all of the reports Babylon Five was a major player in the civil war and the leader of the resistance against President Clark's insanity. The Ministry of Peace, the Homeguard, all of it; It sounded like good-old fascism to her. She was glad that her assignment kept her out of most of that crap. But how did they manage to keep EarthForce from running all over them? Granted, B5 had formidable defenses but nothing that could have handled what EF could have thrown up against them. She suspected that Delenn had something to do with it, but it was only just that; a suspicion. For some reason the Minbari had a vested interest in Babylon Five that they hadn't told anyone about. And Delenn specifically targeted Jeffery Sinclair with her attentions in the early days. She suspected that maybe EarthForce didn't want to go up against the Minbari.

She couldn't believe how crowded the station had become. There were nearly a hundred or more ships in the immediate area including several with configurations that her ship's computers couldn't identity. Lots of them seem to be freighters and cargo ships filled with aliens, refuges no doubt. But from where she had no clue. The Cortez was taking up a lot of space-standard issue there. And those two strangely designed ships with Earth Alliance writing on them piped her curiosity. They were completely unknown designs that reminded her at first of pleasure cruisers of some type. One had several large holes in its hull indicating that it had been in a fight of some sort-raiders probably. However the way the other ship and EarthForce and Minbari vessels were hovering around it marked it as something of great importance. She vowed to learn more about this later. She and Michael had a lot to discuss.

Garibaldi was back on line. "Prepare for transport," he said.

"I'm on my way," she answered turning to head for her shuttle. To her utter surprise, she never made it.

One second she was on her ship and the next she was on the CnC of Babylon Five looking so confused and shock that Michael couldn't help but to burst out laughing that the normally unflappable Captain.

"Michael?!" was all she could think of to say. It was a truly amazing and completely unexpected experience. "Collecting herself quickly she glared at him in a most uncaptain-like manner. "New toys, eh?"

"Courtesy of the Federation," he said then turned to the lieutenant. "Corwin contact Odysseus and let them know that their Captain is safe."

"The Minbari has developed this," she said in wonder. "How could they possibly-"

"Not them," Michael corrected, all the while still smirking. "I mean them over there," he said as he pointed towards the Enterprise."

"Who are they?"

"Humans and aliens from another universe," he told her. Laurel was one of the few people he trusted implicitly.

"Don't play with me Michael."

"I'm deadly serious, Laurel. They got here when we needed them the most and nothing's been the same."

"For the worse?"

"Of course," he laughed. "Seriously, the have caused some problems-with EarthForce, but we've done alright by them. And so have a lot of others including Lyta Alexander."

"The Psi-Corps rep?"

"Yes. She asked to join them and they agreed."

"But she's a telepath," she stammered.

"So are some of them," he countered. "And believe me the people over there do not have the same attitudes towards them that we have."

"She let out a long breath. "I imagine Psi-Corps is having a fit."

"There is no more Psi-Corps, not as you remember it."

She felt another long story coming up. "Are they that different?"

Michael nodded. "Yes, they are. They're kind of skittish with their technology but with everything they've gone through with Earth and the Centauri, that's understandable. But we've done well with them, as you can see."

"In other words, I shouldn't even think about going up against one of them."

"Nope," he confirmed. "Not even against the tiny one over there," he finished, pointing to the USS Yeager that to her eyes didn't look any larger than a gunboat.

"Michael, obviously a lot had happened," she said. She was somewhat in shock. . "I've been gone a long time. What's happened with the Centauri?"

"They attacked those two ships and us for that fact, over there. But their fleet was wiped out in the process. Even the Shadows-you don't know about them yet-had trouble with them. If those two ships got into a fight with a Vorlon ship it would be even money. And that is why everyone's so worried. So far, they've been able to handle just about anything that came up against them. Until now, that is. Something's riding the wind hard and it's coming our way. You need to catch up."

"Evidently," she answered in a hushed tone. Babylon Five was a monster to maintain and now it seemed an even bigger headache. "Michael," she said in a hushed tone. "We found something in the deep frontier. It was a world further than any one has seen before, full of wildlife. We were following a lead from an earlier archeological dig. It suggested that there was a treasure trove of technological wonders just waiting to be discovered. EarthDome sent us out. It took us seven months in hyperspace following obscured beacons to get there. We were in two firefights with unknown aliens. When we got where we believed we were supposed to go we found the world."

"And..."

"No intelligent life, but there was something there that drew our attention. Our scanners picked up the remains of an ancient civilization that either abandoned the planet or were wiped out. There were power emissions coming from the center of a city that was half the size of North America. We went down there and checked things out and we found it. I'm calling it an 'it' because we have no idea what 'it' is. It was old, on the order of ten thousand years. The device was cracked and broken in a dozen places but it still hummed with power. At first we thought it was made of Quantium 40, but we soon discovered that it was a somewhat exotic alloy of the metal unlike anything we've seen before. It was circular with an inner ring covered with alien markings. Unfortunately the whole thing was warped and when our local IPX savant touched it, the inner ring moved and the power died. But it powered once every thirty-six hours and each time, six of seven constructs on the object lit up."

"The device shook the entire area. It was like being in an earthquake, Michael. Then it died out. The power rating on the thing was unimaginable. Some of the IPX scientists were so exited that they planned to try to fix the thing. Something wasn't right. I had to back them off. The closest thing I can compare it to is like a damaged commlink not quite able to work." Takashima eyed him carefully as she spoke her next words. "Michael, I think the thing created something like a doorway similar to our jumpgate arrays, or more precisely it created a stable wormhole. And I think something was trying to get through."

"Are you nuts," he whispered. "That's insane. I can accept warp drive faster than I can accept that."

"What's warp drive?"

Diplomatic quarters:

Neroon was angry. "This is intolerable, Delenn. You've seen the coming danger. The Sinhindrea defeated the Shadows at Z'ha'dum. We must marshal our forces together. Every Minbari ship, every clan member must unite to defend our territories against these creatures."

"And how many ships will we need to defend against them? A hundred? A thousand? Are we to fight alone?"

"If necessary, yes." Slowly, he walked around the room, the waves of irritation coming off him in waves. "The other races are doing the same thing. We are all shoring up our defenses."

"And how many of us will survive fighting alone?" she demanded to know. "I can tell you. None of us will."

"Neroon, she's right," Sheridan said. "She is right. They are going to run over us while we fight inside our little caves trying to beat them back. Together we'll have a chance."

"And exactly what will the Humans contribute?" Neroon sneered at the thought. "Perhaps we should ask your people to place themselves in the front lines so that we can get a clearer shot at them. Oh, forgive me. You've been too busy shooting at each other," he added sarcastically.

Sheridan bristled at the comment, but what could he say? Even if it weren't for the Centauri and the Drakh, Earth had been doing an excellent job of shooting themselves in the foot. 'The Minbari are arguably the most powerful race in this region. That also makes you the most influential. What you do, the others will follow."

"I will not squander our resources on those who would not come to our aid."

"What if I can get everyone to create a coalition force to take the battle to them, would you add your support?"

"Possibly," he conceded. "But even with the evidence we've seen, I am not yet convinced that the Minbari can't hand these invaders. When the Star Riders and Wind Swords ride the stars, there are few that can stand against us."

"Neroon, they defeated the Shadows."

"And were weakened in the process. If we prepare now we can strike a decisive blow from which they will never recover."

"No," said a familiar voice. "If you go, you will die and all the Minbari will die soon after." There was a collective gasp of surprise as Kosh, followed by Ambassador Guinan entered the private quarters. "They are a plague that you cannot withstand by yourselves. To survive you must join together."

Delenn bowed reverently. "When a Vorlon speaks we must listen."

Neroon said nothing.
--

Standing behind him, Guinan simply continued to glare at everyone, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. The Minbari warrior caste was hardheaded and despite everything they had learned, they would rush blindly into a slaughterhouse. At the same time, she was secretly happy that Kosh had decided to weigh in on this before they did something stupid.

The arguments in his quarters, between the two of them would have terrified entire worlds if they had been overheard. Kosh was frightened, a terrible thing for a Vorlon. Terror had been unleashed and with the loss by his people to the Shadows, he was unsure as to what could be done. His first choice was the obvious choice-flee with his people as soon as he could.

"Are you insane?" Guinan remembered yelling. "Part of this was your responsibility. Your people created the gate and you stopped the Sinhindrea the first time. But you lost the gate. Therefore the responsibility is still yours to bear."

Oh, how angry the Vorlon had gotten when she threw out the word 'responsibility'. She could feel his mental powers straining to get free. For a moment, he forgot whom he was dealing with and she raised her hands in a defensive posture that stopped him in his tracks. Slowly he calm down and whispered to her. "Impertinent," he had said in an amused voice."

"Neo-conservative," she had answered. "You told me that all of your people hadn't headed for the Rim. You had fleets out there." She faced him now, eyeball to iris. "They can help."

"They are not enough."

"Every little bit helps. Picard and the others will help. So will every other race if you simply ask. You lamented when no one came to the aid of your people. That was partially your fault. You have kept the younger races under your control and they are stinted, isolated and distrusting of everyone and everything around them. Your people micromanaged the situation as did the Shadows. They also deserve much of this blame. But it was your people who tampered with the races here, not the Shadows."

"We did it to help them. They needed order."

"Your idea of order," Guinan countered. "What's done is done, but you should have left well enough alone."

"We did what we had to do," he protested, all the while wondering why he felt like a child when he was around this being. And how did she get him to talk so much? It was unnatural. "The Shadows would have won."

"You don't know that," she answered. "And what if they did, a thousand years ago? Would it have made a difference now a thousand years later? That is something that we won't know. But without your interference it's entirely possible that these 'children', as you call them, would have been something more that what they are."

"Or they could be dead."

'Possibly," she conceded. "But life finds a way to survive despite the obstacles placed against it. The controls you placed on these people weren't for their benefit, but for yours. You treated those in your charges like experimental animals and then complained when another one of your pet projects blew up in your face. And now you want to them to clean it up,' she said to an embarrassed Kosh. "What will be the cost of that cleanup? How many billions will die because you and your people didn't stand up to the responsibility you've abdicated?"

"Order must be maintained," he answered through his translation device. "The younger races must be made to learn who they are in order for them to continue their well being. Chaos leads to destruction and death."

"Explain your theories to my universe," she countered. "There has to be a balance so that they can grow, Koch. But you're trying to change the subject," she alleged. "Will you contact the remainder of your fleet?"

After an eternity: "I will ask."

"What about the Shadows?" she asked. "Will they help if we ask them?"

"No."

"No to what, Kosh...to us asking, or them actually helping?"

"No."

Guinan smiled at the infuriated Vorlon Ambassador. "That's okay," she said brightly. "I'll ask. And then I'll ask them what 'they' want."
--

Guinan could still remember the waves of terror and shock that resulted from that comment. But she was adamant. Everyone was going to be needed if they were going to survive the coming weeks.

However, it was a source of irritation as to how much control the Vorlons had over these people. They were genetically programmed to follow just about any suggestion the Vorlons made. And that begged the question concerning Mr. Morgan. There was something about him that was different. She suspected she knew but she didn't voice her suspicions to Kosh. One day she would.

Ambassador Mollari had just entered the chamber, quietly enduring the cool to hate-filled glances of the others present. Guinan had to admire that. She could se the change in him. There was a purpose that shown in his eyes, a challenge that she'd not seen before, as he boldly faced those his people had antagonized and began speaking. "I have returned to offer a complete and unconditional cease fire against government that the Centauri people have had issues with. Our Emperor is dead and with him, his mad dreams of conquest. Our current ruler has ordered cessation of hostilities and I have been ordered to began recompense to these governments."

"Londo," Sheridan said. "It's not going to be that easy..."

"Of course not, Captain," he said easily. "I would not expect it to be, yes? However we are taking those first tentative steps to end this war and prepare for the greater one to follow."

Guinan watched Neroon carefully. He seemed ready to pounce on the Centauri Ambassador and refrained from doing so only because of Delenn's presence. But he couldn't completely restrain himself.

"Have you come pleading for your miserable lives?" he asked Londo. "If so, you have done so in vain. This grand display will not keep the Minbari from extracting revenge for what you have done," he growled.

Londo turned and faced the large Minbari with complete confidence and unwavering courage. "Your Commander has already agreed to this in principle."

'Good for you Guinan' thought as Neroon's mouth fell open.

--

Michael shook his head in dismay. He was going to be late for his date with Deanna. Ten minutes earlier they'd received a message from the USS Rantoul to be soon arriving at the station. The continuum distortion drive flared in its usual fashion just before a small ship appeared in normal space. Looking remarkably like the Yeager, it moved slowly towards the Ambassador some fifteen klicks aft of the station.

"This is the Federation starship Rantoul requesting permission to enter Babylon Five space." The screen activated and Michael found himself looking at a familiar face.

"Permission granted," Garibaldi said smiling. "Welcome to Babylon Five."

"Good to be here. I am Lieutenant Commander Thomas Riker. May I ask to whom am I addressing?"

"Michael Garibaldi, Chief of Security. I assume you're going directly to Enterprise. Good luck."

"Thank you."

It will be good when the twins see each other Michael thought. Thomas and William really did look alike, even if Thomas was a bit on the scrawny side. He was glad that Deanna's fling with Commander Riker hadn't worked out. That would have been rough. Now he was curious as to which Riker she had been involved with.

TBC