I own nothing except the ideas of how I am planning to merge two divergent worlds into a hopefully coherent story.

This chapter is slightly different then most of my work. Where I usually use a 2 or 3 section or 'act' process, this chap had I think 4 'acts'. I thought of splitting it into 2 separate chapters but decided to just keep it all together.

I hope people are reading and enjoying. It looks like the stats system on ff net is now as it has not registered ANY views or chapter reads for ANY of my stories since the middle of September. It went from about 2500 a month across all stories to 0 for the last 3 months combined. Has any one else noticed issues with the trackers? I also have shown no reviews at ff net but i did get at least a couple of review email notices since the last posted review on Sept 19th.

Ahsdfk23hk

The hustle and bustle of a 5 mile long station filled with over 250 thousand people from over a dozen different races was normally over stimulating to even a normal beings senses. To someone with the massively enhanced senses of a nearly 300 year old Kryptonian, it was sometimes incredibly overwhelming. So every now and then, and with permission from the security chief thanks to his friendship with Lou Welsh, Kal would take a few hours to have a zero g space walk along the outer hull. In the 3 months that he'd been on the station, he usually took this trek at least once a week, walking the entire outer length of the station. He would start near the exterior loading bay and the 'front' forks of the station, head towards the 'rear' then walk the surface along the rear and return to his starting point from the opposite direction and outer decking of the station. The whole trip, which he walked at a reasonable pace for having to be encumbered by a bulky and useless EV suit took him a little over two and a half hours. He could have done it in seconds, but he was looking for the needed silence and solitude more then he was looking for any potential exercise it provided.

The walk allowed him to rest his ears, and his nose, from the combined noises and smells of the sheer number of bodies and assorted related sounds and odours created by a thriving community that was locked into a relatively restricted amount of internal space. The interior of the station might seem massive on the scale of an individual of standard humanoid size, but for his Kryptonian senses, it might as well be a 10ft by 10ft cube filled with recycled air from a series of sewage plants and a few dozen multicultural restaurants.

Oh he could easily, and did, go off in his own ship for a few days here and there, usually to follow up on one of the stories he was writing or to stop at a dig one of the companies he (discretely) owned was supporting. But going for a walk along the hull, alone, with the vastness of space in his view and looking down on the mysterious planet below the station was far more emotionally restorative and invigorating. Sometime he would take his ship out and just park it off the station, set it to do scans of the system and take a break by heading out the airlock and freely enjoying the feel of space without the confines of a suit, soaking in the rays of the distant Eridani sun. It was not quite as powerful as the one in the Sol system, but his body was far enough along that even the weaker energy of this older sun was enough to recharge and revitalize his energy.

One some of his trips, he would simply head out into a lesser known area of space, make sure he was not being observed, and jump the Metropolis to a unpopulated and remote system and spend some energy on target practice with his various abilities. He took a strange amount of pleasure in destroying rogue asteroids and comets that Kelex was able to track as being on course for potential catastrophic impacts on potentially life supporting planets.

Most he would incinerate with his heat vision, some he would push off course into the nearest star or black hole, and occasionally he'd find a planet with no possible way to support life and redirect the rogue spacial bodies to impact with those planetoids. This was so that Kelex could record and analyze the damage they caused thus giving him a better understanding of potential damage to a habitable world. This would then allow him to try to device ways to mitigate or deflect the damage in similar impacts.

Mostly he was enjoying his time on the station. He had gotten to know some of the people and actually had at least one meal a week with Delenn and a few of the other Ambassadors, as well as a few times a week meeting with Lou for meals or catch up with him at one of the rec centers for some kind of work out or just to hang out and talk about their week. Lou had become an invaluable source for tips on how to approach some of the . . . more colourful figures that lived on the station. Most of the underside of society rightfully worried about the stations chief of security, the hard nosed and rough and tumble Michael Garibaldi, but Lou was the kind of guy that earned their trust and respect more then their fear. This opened doors to allow Kal to meet and interview individuals that might otherwise have never been willing to cooperate with him. In turn, his stories had started to reach the masses both on the station and on the various worlds that supported the station.

Some changes were already starting to slowly be endorsed by the money holders back home and the station had seen a 5% increase in the budget to aid those in financial difficulty get work or education to improve their conditions. This might not seem like much, but it was the largest increase in any area of the budget in the entire lifetime of the entire Babylon project, dating back to the unfortunate first Babylon station. There was also pressure mounting on Earth and the colonies to increase the budget for other areas on the station, including the staffing and outfitting of security personnel, the judicial system on board, and to replace outdated support vessels with the newer and more powerful models being used on front line cruisers and carriers. Some of the current Starfury fighters protecting the station were outdated and well past the recommended life cycles of the workhorse fighters, with at least half of them being remnants of the fleet that had been posted as part of the Battle of the Line ten years before. The usual life cycle for a standard Starfury in active duty was supposed to be no more then 8 years and most of those assigned to Babylon 5 were at least 11 years or older.

Right now Kal was working on the story about the potential strike by the dock workers that was brewing. Due to restrictive laws relating to the nature of the work on the station, an actual strike by the workers was technically illegal and could see all of them fired and arrested. And even worse, the government could bring in Orin Zento who would most likely enact the Rush act.

He had been trying, and so far failed, to get interviews with the leaders of the workers, Neeoma Connolly and Eduardo Delvientos. It was Eduardo's brother Albert's death during an incident that had been one of the instigating factors and final straws that lead to the potential upcoming work stoppage Connolly was the union president and from all he'd heard, a real firebrand who was working hard to get support and relief for the Docker's Guild workers. Kal had already printed and sent out several interviews with various other dock workers about the abysmal conditions they were forced to work in due to being understaffed and severely underpaid.

Not to mention, like the StarFuries, much of their equipment was either outdated, past their recommended usage limits or simply too under powered for the workload they were being forced to comply with by the demands of the ship traffic on the station.

He had also not yet had a chance to meet with the commander, Jeffrey Sinclair, regarding the situation though he had interviewed him a couple of other times regarding other matters. Lately when he tried to make an appointment the communication center first directed him to David Corwin, a junior officer whose main responsibility was directing incoming ships to the various docking bays as well as over seeing external communications with incoming comm traffic. On a few rare moments, Corwin would connect him to the 2ic, Lt Ivanova, a rather no nonsense and rigidly Russian officer who would usually make vague promises of trying to fit him into the commander's schedule with a dry laconic witty comment before ending the calls in as short a time as possible.

He was beginning to think he might need to set up an ambush of sorts and catch the commander 'off-duty' as it were, but he disliked doing so. It was one thing to meet the man on a social occasional and then asking a few questions, but to set out to interrupt him during his rare moments of relaxation just seemed rude to him. Lois, dear Lois, would likely have already staked out the man's quarters and office on a daily basis waiting for the slightest opening to tackle him, pin him down and grill him about everything that happens on the station, but he had never felt comfortable with acting in that manner. He knew better then most that every one deserved both some privacy and some time to relax with the pressure of their responsibilities, especially the type of grinding responsibility that weighed on the military commander of a mixed civilian/military/diplomatic out post such as the station.

There was a chime and Kal blinked, looking up from the computer he was working on towards his door and then taking a second to check the time. As the station ran a military time scale, he had set his chronometer to reflect this, and the display currently showed that it was just a little past 2130. Saving and closing his current file, he called out to the visitor. "Come on in."

The door whirled and slid open in that strange way they were designed and Kal raised an eyebrow as the man he'd just been contemplating entered. "Sorry to bother you so late, Mr Jameson. Ivanova has been trying to set a meeting for you on my daily schedule for the last week but as you have seen, things are getting a little hectic around here."

Kal stood and moved forward, shaking the commanders hand while gesturing for the tired looking man to take a seat. "I understand, Commander. I am just glad you came. I was actually thinking of ambushing you during a meal or camping outside your quarters if I didn't hear from you soon. It's something my former partner and wife would have done weeks ago. Would you like something to drink? I can whip up some tea or coffee, or if you prefer something a bit stronger, I have a bottle of Scotch I can bring out?"

Sinclair grinned tiredly as he settled into the comfortable lounge chair near the low coffee table. "Well... this isn't a social call, but I guess one glass won't hurt. Perhaps bring some coffee and pout me a couple fingers of that Scotch, if it isn't a problem?" Kal just nodded and set about setting up a tray with a pot of coffee and the tumble of Scotch.

They remained silent for a moment as Sinclair took a sip of the coffee and then stared into and swirled the glass of Scotch. "You're partner sounds like a real ... go getter." he said after a moment, almost questioning Kal.

Kal chuckled. "Oh you have no idea. She could be a real piece of work. Sometimes I wonder how I ever got her to agree to marry me." Kal took a drink from his own coffee and also a cookie from the pile he had added to the tray. "I miss her every day." he said as he took a bite.

Sinclair looked up for a moment. "Then she's . . .?"

"She passed away quite some years ago. She was ill for a while and the end was a bit of a relief as it meant she was no longer in any pain." Kal shook his head to clear the morose thoughts from his mind. "Anyway, you came for a reason, Commander?"

Sinclair drained half the Scotch in his glass and set it down on the table before leaning back again. "Yes, I wanted to discuss the issue with the dock workers. I am hoping to prevent any violence and shake up those bean counters back home, but due to my position and the tenuous situation the station is in financially, I am stuck on what options I have. I received word today that Orin Zento is on the way and that he has been authorized if he feels necessary to enact the Rush Act."

Kal frowned. He had thought that this would be a possibility but he had though it would take far more provocation for the government to take that step. "That seems a little -forgive me- rushed for the situation. There's been no violence and only a lot of talk yet, no real actions have been taken by the guild."

"It is. And frankly, I don't like what this indicates. Zento is a hard liner and I don't like the way he works. He's too quick to jump to the harshest interpretations and his eagerness to pull the trigger on the Rush Act."

"I've read his dossier and reports on him. I've also spoken off the record with people who've dealt with him and you aren't wrong, Commander. He's more concerned with his own career then he is with the needs of the workers. From what I've heard, he seems to think that he more unions and strikes he breaks, the higher his political capital gets for saving a bit of money for the government that should be spent where and when needed."

"I agree. To top it off, while I have regretted not being able to meet with you. I know you are a fair and unbiased reporter, I've had to continuously dodge an ISN reporter for the last couple of days. I think she's trying to steal your story."

Kal grinned as he finished his coffee and poured himself another. "Let me guess, Mary Ann Cramer?" Sinclair nodded with both eyebrows raised. "I know her well. She tends to somehow end up where ever I spent a significant amount of time in any one location. ISN tried to buy out the Galaxy a few years back and ownership turned them away. When they couldn't buy us out, they tried strong arming us out of business, but well, the owners are a little better connected then they thought and put them in their place. Now they try to scoop us and move in on our stories every chance they can and Mary Ann is one of the worst for it."

"I though you owned the Daily Galaxy?" Sinclair asked, recalling what Corwin had mention when the man first came to the station and what Garibaldi had confirmed in his back ground check.

"It's a little more complicated then that, Commander. I'm more of a . . . figurehead for the ownership group who prefer to remain untethered to a media company in order to prevent accusations of tampering and corruption. I run the news portion, but there are managers and others who take care of all the business details. I just speak for the people who feed the money into the machine, as it were. I much prefer being out here and reporting on the news and working stories instead of being stuck in a boardroom or conference meetings somewhere."

Before they could continue the conversation the chime at the door sounded again. They pair shared a look, Kal silently asking Sinclair if he should sent the new arrival away and Sinclair indicating to let the person in. The entrant was one of the last people either would have expected to see at this time.

Kal stood as the person approached. "Ambassador, what can I do for you?"

G'kar frowned for a moment as he saw Sinclair seated with his quarry then his face brightened as the opportunity. "Ah, Commander Sinclair. I was looking for you earlier but your Lt Ivanova told me you were in a conference and could not be disturbed. I am glad that my 2nd choice in confidant was also someone that you sought out as I have a most urgent and pressing matter to discuss."

"I'm sorry, Ambassador but I am, as they say, off the clock and am being interviewed by Mr. Jameson for an article regarding the dock workers situation. I will set some time aside first thing in the morning for what ever you issue is, though if you came seeking help from Mr. Jameson, then I can't speak for him if he has time to hear you and lend his aid."

G'kar turned to Kal, his red eyes filled with hope and passion that stirred something in Kal. His eyes reminded Kal of his long lost friend, Jjonn Jonzz. "If you can wait a bit, I can finish up with the commander now, and then perhaps hear what you need help with."

G'kar impatiently threw up his hands, annoyed but quickly calming himself. "I apologize for my outburst. I will wait while you complete your discussion. Is this matter sensitive? Should I perhaps wait out side?"

Sinclair finished his drink and stood. "Actually, I think we just about finished for tonight. And since I'm here, you might as well tell us both what you need. Unless it is Council business."

G'kar smiled briefly as he shook his head. "It is a matter of a personal and spiritual nature. It has nothing to do with the Council, though it does connect to the most vile member."

Sinclair sighed as he draw his hand across his face, ignoring the slight chuckle from the dark haired man opposite the table from him. "What has Londo done now?" he asked wryly.

"I am unsure if you are aware, but this is a time of great spirituality for my people, and especially for followers of the prophet G'Quan. There is a ritual that must be performed at a very precise time and requires very specific items. One of those items is a G'Quan Eth, a plant once common on Narn but now quite rare and valuable. It is used and cultivated solely for the purpose of this ritual. The ship that was involved in the accident, for which I offer my most sincere condolences, was carrying the plant so that I could lead other followers of Quango in the ritual."

Kal started to get a sinking feeling in his gut as his mind started piecing together the elements of the story so far. "Let me guess, Ambassador Molari somehow has the only remaining G'Quan Eth on the station and is refusing to return it to you out of spite."

G'kar clapped his gloved hands together, the thick leather dulling the sharp sound slightly. "Yes! He originally offered to sell the plant for a ridiculous some, nearly 20x it's normal value. I of course refused, but after discussing it with my compatriots on Home-world, they agreed to supply the credits needed.

When I went to him with my acceptance and agreement to pay, he laughed and said he would never sell me the plant at any price and was taking a greater joy in seeing me in this position and suffering then he would get from spending the money on anything he could possibly purchase with it."

"And what did you want me to do about this? I can't force him to sell you or give you the plant." Sinclair said with a tone of regret.

G'kar nodded stiffly. "Yes, I realized immediately that this would not be possible. However, my 2nd thought was that I am aware Molari and the Centauri have been pushing for certain mining and exploration rights in a system near their border that I know has been claimed by Earth. I am also aware that Earth has been seeking certain improvements on engine and weapons technologies that my people have been with holding." G'kar paused and Kal and Sinclair exchanged a glance, their quick wits and minds catching on to the potential implication.

"So you were going to suggest a 3 way trade?" Sinclair questioned. "You give Earth that tech, Earth gives the Centauri access rights to that system, and in return the Centauri force Londo to give you the plant for your ceremony?"

G'kar clapped again and nodded vigorously. "Exactly! I spoke to my government and they have agreed." Seeing Sinclair about to speak, he lifted a hand in a gesture he had learned meant to stop or pause among humans. "I know, you would have to discuss it with you own government and unlike my own, your Earth politicians are slow to respond. Going this route would take too long and we do not have time to waste. Instead, I decided to speak to Mr. Jameson. I believe that he has developed a . . . rapport with Molari and could make the ... monster see some kind of reason. I am still willing to make the original payment for the plant. Molari would still get his money, and will get the pleasure of knowing that I have to come and beg for assistance from a human and not advanced the Narn cause among the Earth government."

Kal and Sinclair considered G'kar's words and situation and what they each could do to help him. "When must you have the plant?" Sinclair asked as Kal nodded in agreement to the question.

"The ritual must occur when the first light of the sun comes above the G'Quan Mountains on the final day of the Days of G'Quan. That is less then 20hrs from now." the agitated ambassador stated as he began pacing the room, his leather clad hands wringing against each other in an attempt to ease some of the tension he was feeling.

"Is there anything about this plant that you can tell me?" Sinclair asked. "Does it have some non-religious effect or attribute?"

G'kar paused as he considered the nature of the plant. "I suppose that if it were consumed by humans it might have an effect similar to your -i believe it is puppy plant? No. That's not right... it's a red little flowering plant, that your people processed to make several powerful drugs. Addictive and dangerous if over indulged int. What was that word?" G'kar was frowning as he tried to recall the word he had heard a long time ago when he was performing a less publicly open service for his people by dealing in black market trade goods with humans during their war with the Minbari. "For Narns it is not harmful, but it is poisonous to Centauri and as I said, a powerful and addictive drug among many other races."

Kal snapped his fingers. "Poppy. The word you are looking for is poppy seed. And yes, that plant at one time was used to create several drugs that were originally used as medicines but eventually got into recreational usage and caused a lot of damage on Earth. A whole branch of drugs called opiates derived from various rendering and processing of the poppy plant and seeds." Kal frowned as his mind pondered the situation. "Commander, would the G'Quan Eth be considered and listed as a regulated substance due to it's effects on humans and other races? Isn't there some sort of rule or law that prevents the trade or possession of such without appropriate clearances?"

Sinclair grinned wryly as he caught on to what Kal had realized. "Yes. Yes there are many rules and laws regarding that very thing." He turned to G'kar, "Give me a few hours to make sure the plant is indeed on the controlled list and if it is, then I can repossess it from Londo legally and return it to an authorized user, which I assume you are?"

G'kar startled as the commander turned to face him fully. "Oh, yes. I have all authorizations needed to handle any restricted or regulated materials."

Sinclair nodded, turned back to Kal. "Mr Jameson, I think we are finished with the interview now. I am going to head back to my office and do some research.

While I'm doing that, why don't you put some of your pressure on Londo? Rile him up and get him focused on trying to deal with you. If you manage to convince him to give up the plant, great. If not, I can come in and force him to give it up."

Kal agreed and G'kar felt a waive of relief. Perhaps there would be time for the ritual, if Molari was not too intransigent. Sinclair was an honourable man, from what he had learned of him and if there was any chance for the ritual to be complete on time, the nit would rely on his actions and influence on the Centauri peacock.

23lk4j

Kal frowned as he watched the angry crowd gathered in the open area of the docking port. He had been completely unable to get interviews with either Connolly or Eduardo Delvientos. The few workers who had spoken to him had been openly hostile and after a little digging he learned that part of the reason was that they had already been ... 'interviewed' by the ever so perky Mrs Mary Ann Cramer. That noted scribe had done her usually fine work and managed to piss off and anger every one on both sides of the story, the workers and the station staff were all sick of her. And because of this, by extension, were reluctant and hostile to all media sources, including him.

He'd already diffused at least 3 fights among the various work crews and discreetly had to disable at least 4 hidden firearms. When the wielders tried to fire, they would find either missing or non-functional power caps. One man even had an old school 6-shot Colt .45 revolver. It was clearly ancient and in rough shape. It hadn't taken much to fuse the firing pin in place as well as the cylinder so that it would not fire. There was little he could do for the myriad knives, chains, homemade brass knuckles and heavy duty tools that the crowd members were carrying. He would just have to be ready to act if he was needed.

Luckily, Sinclair had the security team ready and he could see Chief Garibaldi and Lou standing at the front of a line of riot geared men and women in the ugly brownish beige uniforms of station security. The men seemed nervous but were holding fast, despite the clear disparity in the numbers being in favour of the dock workers. It was a clear sign as any that they trusted in their leaders to be able to handle the situation and in their own abilities.

A stir from one side of the from caught his attention and he frowned as he watched Sinclair enter the area with Zento. Zento was staring at the crowd with that patently false cocky grin that so reminded Kal of a long dead enemy. He would not be surprised to discover a link to Luther in Zento's family tree. He oozed slime and arrogance as easily as Lex had ever done.

"Ms Connolly, you are hereby ordered by the Senate Oversite committee to return to work immediately." Zento stated in his well practised superior tone.

"To hell with that!" shouted one of the workers standing somewhere in the crowd. His cry was taken up in a wordless cheer by the majority of the crowd as Connolly stared defiantly at the Senate's hatchet man.

"You hear my workers, Orin." she stated, deliberately using his first name in order to annoy him further. "We are not going back to work until we have an increase in pay, safer and better equipment and regulations."

Zento visibly had to restrain himself as he was provoked by the blond union leader. He turned away from her and stared angrily at Sinclair. "You heard the woman Commander. She is refusing a direct order and is now engaged in an illegal act of work stoppage. By the order and power invested by the Senate, I am demanding that you immediately take steps to enact the Rush Act. Any worker who is not at their post within the next hour is to be arrested and tried for sedition. You and your men are authorized and required to use any force necessary to break this illegal action and get these people back to work."

A cry of outrage came from the crowd and before any more could be said, the anger boiled over and action was taken. A large wrench came flying from the crowd and just grazed the side of Zento's head, causing him to cry out in shock and collapse. Several of the guards he had with him surrounded him and started hauling him out of the area, using the stun batons to lash out at any of the surging crowd who came within range. Sinclair grabbed Connolly and fell into position behind Garibaldi and his men, who formed up and lifted riot shields to protect the Commander with their riot shields.

Kal had to hold back slightly to let the initial forward rush of the crowd pass him, as the workers slammed into the line of armed and armoured security. He could vaguely hear Sinclair calling for assistance from other sources, including the small contingent of GROPOS and the pilots of the StarFuries. He knew that even with those reinforcements, the dock workers outnumbered the station's security and military staff. He moved quickly to a higher position on a gangwalk above the crowd, studying the action and everyone's position, With a grin he noticed Lou leading Sinclair and Connolly into a side corridor leading away from the conflict zone.

He waited until those three were around the corner and one of the guards raised up a ppg rifle. When the man was lining up a shot to be slightly over the heads of the crowd and Kal was pleased to note that even in this situation, Garibaldi's men were showing great restraint. They had all head Zento give literally permission to shoot to kill or otherwise attack the workers. At any time they had permission and in fact, legally speaking, could be required to start firing wildly into the crowd but so far were following non-lethal options.

As the man fired, Kal used a mix of his abilities to disrupt his aim, causing him to fire into a nearby power junction on the wall. This had multiple effects. Primarily for his purpose it sent a cascading power surge through the nearby electronic devices -notably the cameras and the lighting.

With the lights flickering and the cameras disabled, he had a little more room to manoeuvre. He sped down into the crowd, his speed allowing him to work his way through the crowd. There were several more guns to be disabled and a few other equally lethal weapons to disable, including a number of Molotov cocktail style home made incendiaries and some military grade explosives. He was not surprised that some of the guards had finally been forced to fire into the crowd and he moved to intercept those shots, wincing as the burning plasma stung slightly against his near impenetrable skin. They didn't hurt much, perhaps to a similar degree to a paintball or BB pellet on a human, but have to step in front of a half dozen of them in less then a nanosecond was compounding their impact. He wasn't worried though as it would likely need a ship's main battery to cause him any significant injury at this point. However, many a powerful being had been defeated by taking multiple small wounds by weaker opponents.

Reaching a point his mind calculated would be the most beneficial, he slowed just enough to be in place for about 10% of 10% of second, and then slammed his hands together, hard. He watched as the visible shock wave spread out from his position as he then outran the wave and resumed standing on the gangwalk overhead. As he came to a stop, time seemed to resume and the two groups of facing opponents were separated by the force of the pressure wave Kal's clap had produced. Carefully measured force pushed apart the two lines of combatants, knocking the closest (and thus most in danger from each other) down and into their own lines in a tangle of limbs. The wave pushed them all back, and Kal noted happily that no one seemed to be injured too severely by either the fight or the forced separation. He was a little worried that he might have to intercede again more openly, but with the lights out and sparks of power shooting off of equipment, everyone was more concerned with disentangling themselves and asking if any one knew where the wind originated.

People were just getting to their feet and starting to search for weapons when the lights blazed back on, forcing them all to wince and blink at the sudden illumination. All the nearby screens, the station PA system and individual links and comm units all came to life together and Commander Sinclair introduced himself.

"... And so by authority of Earthgov, I have no choice but to put into effect the Rush Act." A loud grumbling came from the crowd at those words and the serious tone in Sinclair's statement. Just behind him on the screens was the smirking face of Orin Zento, a member of the medical staff working on sealing the bloody wound on his scalp. "As per the Rush Act, I am authorized to use any means necessary- I repeat, any means necessary- to resolve this work stoppage." Sinclair paused, turned his head slightly to be able to see Orin's face out of the corner of his eye and smirked right back at the man. "And here are the means by which I resolve the situation:

1-Amnesty from all charges for all workers who immediately cease hostile acts against station security

2- Effective immediately, I am instituting a 15% wage increase to all workers at all levels of the docking guild, subject to yearly review for cost of living increases

3-Also effective immediately, I am instituting a maximum work day length of 10hrs standard shift per day and 3hrs maximum on zero-g work time per individual.

And finally, for now,

4-A general increase of the equipment budget of equivalent to an additional 3% of the stations overall budget."

Sinclair turned away from the camera to face Orin. "Mr Zento, with the authority given to me as the military commander of Babylon 5 and under the auspices of the Rush Act approved by the Senate, this is the means in which I am resolving the dock workers illegal actions. Ms Connolly, do you accept my terms and agree to have your people return to work under these conditions?"

The camera in the CIC turned to face the clearly startled blond standing to the opposite side of the room from Zento. She shook her head to free herself from the shock and grinned widely towards the commander. "Absolutely, Commander. Those terms are acceptable for my people." Looking into the camera, the woman pumped her fist in victory and then made a shooing motion. "You heard the man, Eduardo. Get those people straightened up and back to work. There are ships to load and cargo to get settled."

Kal grinned as the crowd let out a joyous cry and started to congratulate each other even as the shift foremen like the mentioned Eduardo started to try and usher them into some semblance of order. Garibaldi approached the group led by Eduardo and the two exchange some words and then shook hands, men on both sides wincing at their injuries gained from the short battle. Garibaldi tapped his link and Kal could hear him requesting that Dr. Franklin send medical teams to the bay to deal with the injured onsite as there were too many people needing assistance to send to the various medical bays.

Kal was satisfied with the way things turned out. From a quick scan with his xray vision, there were no serious injuries and the worst were a couple of broken bones and a few mild concussions. Nothing life or limb threatening.

'All in all, a decent day's work and a lot of potential points of interest for a series of articles.' he thought to himself as he walked down from the gangwalk to offer assistance to those waiting for medical personnel.

F23flj3

Zento glared at Sinclair after the man finished making his announcement and getting the agreement from the union leader for his proposal. "This will not stand, Commander. The Senate will never approve your decisions here." there was almost visible venom streaming from his voice as he shoved away the nurse as she finished knitting together the wound on his scalp. "They will deny your changes and the workers will not only be forced back to work any way, but will have even more reason to be resentful of what they will see as your lies."

Sinclair shook his head as he listened to the other man rant. "Wrong, Zento. Due to the Rush Act, the Senate has no choice but to approve and institute the changes in policy I ordered. And I have you to thank for the idea."

Zento stared at him for a moment. "What do you mean, they have to approve your decree? And what do you mean, you have me to thank for the idea?"

"I was at a lost. I couldn't find a way to end this situation without serious bloodshed but then you arrived and started threatening the Rush Act and harping on how much authority and leeway it gave to the person who had to enact it. So I did some research and round that the Act is written in such a way that the instituter is given legal and total authority to over ride all legal and statutory bindings by any other authority and that as such, the actions taken by that person are considered beyond recrimination or reversal and must be approved and accepted by the Senate." He paused as he saw realization seep into the arrogant man's understanding. "That's right, the Act is meant to protect the person activating it from legal repercussions for any action taken. It was meant to protect against issues relating to any lethal or violent actions taken, but it applies to all actions. Including in this case, increasing the funding and safety conditions for the workers- which is what they wanted all along."

Zento swore, his mind rapidly going through the documents and the wording of the act and realizing that Sinclair was correct. He had full authority and whatever steps he took to end the situation were immediately passed into law as legally binding for all Earthgov and Earth force. No one, not the Senate and not the President, could refuse to enforce his decrees and they certainly could not reverse them. Once set by the Rush Act being enabled, the decrees of resolution were binding for a period of no less then 10yrs. The only way to reverse the decrees and decisions by Sinclair was with three unanimous votes in Senate and by the Electoral college as well as a majority vote in each state or nation with at least 75% approving dismissing the changes.

"You're done, Sinclair. You've no idea of the enemies you've just made." Zento hissed angrily. "Your career is over. You won't last the month before you are replaced here with some one more . . . congenial to policy."

"Maybe." Sinclair said with a tired sigh. "But until then, this is still my station and this is still a military, not political office. So, Mr Zento, get the hell out of my command center and off of my station. Susan, escort this person out of any . . . restricted areas and see that his ship is ready to depart with him and his ... men on board with him within the hour." Sinclair smirked. "Ms Connolly, I think your crew will be most eager to assist Mr Zento in being the first departure now that the 'medical emergency' that your people have been suffering has been resolved?"

Neeoma grinned, starting to like the seemingly stiff but apparently deep and considerate man. "Absolutely, Commander. My crews will get right on that, thanks to your excellent medical help." she said.

Before Susan could drag him out of the command center, he turned and glared at Sinclair one last time. "This will not work, Sinclair. I can spin this to the Senate and it will not be passed."

Susan grabbed the man's arm and forcibly turned him to the camera. "Actually Zento, it will go through, and it will work. Because everything since you got to the CIC has been broadcast on all frequencies to all Earthforce and Earthgov channels. Everyone knows how the situation was resolved and how you tried to force a physical assault of the blue collar workers on the station. What do you think public opinion will think, after seeing you spouting off eagerly for violent action against people who just want to have a safe workplace and earn a decent pay?"

Zento stared at the woman before shaking himself loose and storming away angrily, followed by Susan and a contingent of security comprised of Lou Welsh and Zach Allen.

"Interesting day indeed." Sinclair muttered to himself before a thought crossed his mind. He turned and stared out the large window of the command center. "Corwin, what time is it on Narn?" he asked worriedly.

Corwin typed into his system and gave the local and relative times for the station and for the Narn home world.

Sinclair sighed and ran a hand over this face. "too late." he muttered to himself tiredly. Taking a moment to compose himself, he left the CIC and headed into his office. As he collapsed into his chair, he tapped his comm. "Kal, Jeffrey Sinclair. We missed it. The first light of sun passed over the mountain about an hour ago." he paused to sigh again. "I think you should find G'kar before he does something stupid."

Kal's voice came back over the link. "About that time thing, I think I have a solution. How far wooed you say the Narn world is from Eridani?"

Sinclair blinked as he tried to recall the information. As a front line soldier in a command position he had to be familiar with the locations and approximate distances between all of the major worlds of the major players on the galactic scene. "Eridani to Narn... Eridani... Narn... I guess it would be slightly over 10 light years. Why?"

Kal's chuckle came over the linkage. "I think I have an idea that might help G'kar, but here's what I need from you..." Kal went on to explain what he had come up with and Sinclair felt his spirits rise slightly. After the rough couple of days, it felt good to be able to bring a little spiritual fulfillment into the universe. If it means tweaking the nose of the frustrating personality that was Londo Molari, well that was just a nice little bonus that he would never admit to out loud.

3r23rr3

AN

at one point in story, I had G'kar 'think' the phrase "Centauri peacock". Perhaps i should have looked up Narn of Centauri animal but peacock resonates in most English speakers very specifically and with the way they spread (or fan) their tails, the Centauri hairdos and bright flashy clothing always makes me think of a strutting peacock when Londo or any of them are in one of their 'moods'.

Thanks to everyone reading and fav/follow the story so far, just wish ff net was working so I knew how many have read it so far. Only 1 review... (sob)