Well, this is the fastest I've ever gotten a part written and edited, mostly thanks to the fact that my beta reader was staying with me last week. Thanks Sarah! Also, thanks to Emma for helping me out with some medical terminology.

The Universe Blinked

Part 5

"Damn it, are you sure this is the correct translation? Her heart rate is off the scale! If something doesn't happen soon, her heart will explode!"

"Relax," Vicari said calmly, having regained his composure since last night, "everything's fine. I'm sure it probably has something to do with whatever the Vorlons did to her before they put her in there."

"How could you possibly know that? The Vorlons weren't exactly known for sharing. What if 'whatever they did to her' is a trap to keep her out of enemy hands?" Jathenn started pacing the operating room, nervously glancing at the EKG monitor every other second.

"Ah, your human side rears its ugly head. I'm telling you, don't worry. I have a hunch she'll stabilize any minute now."

Jathenn, stopping on the far side of the room, was about to start another anxious tirade when the frantic beeping of the monitor fell into a slower, steadier pattern. Vic, looking rather smug, walked over to the girl and injected her with something.

"What was that? Don't tell me you managed to dig a formula out of that mess."

"Actually, no. It's a serum to temporarily block her telepathic abilities. I found it in a pre-Alliance era medical file."

"You're blocking her? Will you be sealing her eyes shut as well?" Jathenn asked sarcastically.

Vic rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed by his friend's shortsightedness. "Have you thought this through at all? Let's take a look at the facts: one, her brain has been dormant for thousands of years; two, any time we bring someone out of cryo, there is a minute or two where brain activity spikes; three, a major brain function for telepaths is scanning; and four, we have to assume she was altered by the Vorlons. There is a good chance she'll be the strongest telepath we've ever dealt with."

"All right," Jathenn grudgingly admitted, "it's for her own good. How long until she wakes up?"

Vic glanced at the clock. "Right about…now." The EEG monitor spiked, and the girl's body jerked. Her eyes popped open and darted back and forth, taking in her surroundings. She focused on Vic, getting a worried look appearing on her face. She stared at him hard, and her worry seemed to turn to panic. Opening her mouth to scream, she managed only a whisper.

Jathenn walked over to the table and smiled down at the girl. She seemed to relax slightly when she looked at him, but it was short-lived. He realized her looks of concentration were attempts to scan them.

"Calm down, it's okay," he said soothingly. "You were in stasis a lot longer than you were meant to be. We gave you a drug to temporarily block your talent, because we didn't know if you'd have control of it immediately." He reached out to her and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "You're on Minbar now, and you're safe. No one here is going to hurt you." He saw her start to calm down. She moved to sit up, but was stopped by the precautionary restraints.

"Easy now, don't try to get up yet. You've been through quite a bit, and I doubt you could balance yet. I know this might seem odd, but what you need right now is to get some sleep. You're body has used more energy in the last half hour than it has for a long time. We're going to move you to a rehydration room to get some moisture back into your system, and when you wake up, we'll try some food."

The girl looked up at him, the fear and tension slowly fading. Whatever it was about him that she found soothing he couldn't begin to imagine, but he was glad for it.

"Come in. Have a seat." Robyn indicated a spot next to her on the floor. Ni'sten, standing in the doorway, looked confused by the lack of formality in his teacher's manner. She couldn't help but smile as he approached and slowly lowered himself to the floor. He seemed to be waiting for her to change her mind and reprimand him.

"Don't look so nervous. You did beautifully on your evaluation. Here," she said, handing him a copy of the report, "see for yourself. You managed the first perfect score I've given in five years."

Ni'sten opened to the first page and immediately began to relax. "I am honored that you hold my skills in such high esteem. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, you earned that score. Now, if you like, I'd be happy to discuss the details. If you turn to page two, we can-"

"Sech Daniels?" Robyn's head snapped up at the sound of her aide's voice. Being out of the field for so long had left some of her once finely tuned observatory skills a bit stale. There had been a time when the top most skilled Alliance spies couldn't get past her. Now even her aide was able to startle her at every turn.

"Yes?" she sighed, momentarily longing for the past.

"I apologize for the interruption, but you have an emergency call coming in on the secure channel."

"Right, put it through to my office," she instructed as she turned back to her student. "Ni'sten, I'm sorry, but I have to take this. While I'm gone, why don't you read through that report? When I get back, I'll answer any questions and talk to you about your options."

He nodded his acknowledgement and immediately bent his head to the task. She turned and followed her aide toward her office, her heart pounding.

Nine years. It had been more than nine years since she'd received a secure channel transmission. Back then, of course, it was a common occurrence; part of the job description. Not anymore. This was the first one since she'd started teaching, and she couldn't even begin to guess what it was about.

By the time she reached her desk, the call had already been rerouted. The familiar Ranger insignia flashed on the panel as she sat down and answered the call.

"Entil'zha," she formally greeted the half-Minbari woman on the screen, "it's been too long. How are you?" She offered the most carefree smile she could manage.

"Honestly, I've been better. As much as I wish this were a social call, I actually need your help."

Robyn noticed the strain on her friend's face and began to understand the gravity of the situation. "I'll do whatever I can, Kate, you know that. What's going on?"

"Do you remember the last case you worked on before you started teaching?"

"Of course, the Kymer situation. There was a lot of room for disaster in that one. I finished it up about a week before Jay and I got married. I was never happier to lay a case to rest."

"Well," Kate grimaced, "it's not resting as peacefully as we'd hoped. I've recently received some very reliable intelligence that they're on the move again, and this time they're not sticking to basic raiding. They've got several major colonies targeted for invasion."

"Whose colonies? The only outside races with colonies are the Akyshlan and the Deairus. The Deairus are in talks to join the Alliance now, and the Akyshlan colonies are of little to no value."

"That's just it, they're not staying outside the Alliance. They're targeting member colonies."

Robyn stared past the COM screen, struggling to comprehend what she'd just heard. "Are they crazy?" she exclaimed. "I mean, of course they're crazy, but are they thinking at all? The Alliance constitution expressly prohibits any actions taken against another member! No race has had the nerve to even think about something like this since the Alliance's early days!"

"I know. The President and the council are very disturbed. They've read your reports on the raids. They want you working on this, but you'll have to come to Yedor. The decision is being left up to you."

"Geez, I don't know. I mean, I guess Mikey's old enough that I can leave him for a bit, but Jay just got really busy at work…"

"I don't need an answer right this minute. Think it over, talk to Jathenn. I will need an answer by tomorrow, though. You'd need to be debriefed as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course. I understand."

"Good. I have to go. I'm needed in meetings all day today, but call me as soon as you decide. My aide has instructions to relay any messages from you."

The screen went blank as the transmission ended, but Robyn continued to stare at it. How could this possibly be happening? Did the Kymer understand the sanctions they'd be facing? Or the weaponry? They were a young race. What could possibly drive them to something so foolish?

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it to make sense. Eventually, she just gave up and went back to her meeting.