Visions of Peace

by Matthew Sprange

  ‘Do you think it will be a false alarm?’ he asked.

  She snorted. ‘I have learned to accept the galaxy at its worst. Prepare for the balloon to go up and be pleasantly surprised when it doesn’t--a reasonable philosophy in the Anla’Shok.’

  They fell into silence for a few minutes, and Badeau stared ahead at the swirling red clouds of hyperspace that coalesced and dissipated in the twinkling of an eye. Distance was very hard to gauge by eye in this otherworldly realm, but even so she could tell the Intrepide was moving very quickly, virtually eating the light-years in realspace. A thought occurred to her, and she turned back to Shaw.

  ‘Your records say you were born on Mars, is that right?’

  He looked up from his station and nodded. ‘That’s right. You an Earther?’

  After this long in the Anla’Shok, you tend to think of Minbar as home, if you consider it at all. The truth is, I have spent more time on board the Intrepide than anywhere else in recent years.’ She ran a hand down the arm of her chair. ‘Still, you could not ask for a more capable home.’

  ‘When were you last on Earth?’ he tentatively asked.

  Sabine went silent for a few seconds and then replied, quietly. ‘Years ago. Before the Shadow War.’ She caught his look of surprise. ‘They didn’t give you time off for good work back then--far too much to do. After the Shadow War, we were battling Clark’s forces. Then the ISA got underway.’

  ‘You were at Coriana 6, weren’t you?’

  ‘Yes. With the Intrepide, no less.’

  Shaw’s curiosity was piqued. He had heard the Rangers were far different back then to the multi-racial Anla’Shok of today and, besides, he had never grown tired of the stories the Religious Caste tutors had told of their service in the Shadow War once the day’s training was over. To fight against the Ancients themselves. It seemed incredible to him.

  ‘What was it like? The battle?’ he pressed but was met with several seconds of silence. He saw Badeau stare ahead at the viewport, her face suddenly emotionless.

  ‘Painful,’ Badeau said simply. From the corner of his eye, Shaw saw one of the Minbari look straight at him and give an almost imperceptible shake of the head. Taking the hint, Shaw kept quiet. For the rest of his shift, he busied himself with running a variety of simulations on his station based on their encounter in the Coutar system with the Centauri Vorchans.

  July 4th 2263, EarthDome, Sol

  Out of view of the President of the ISA on her screen, Susanna Luchenko’s fist tightened in growing frustration. She quickly considered the position of her predecessors, earlier Presidents and other leaders who had to manage the concerns of but a single nation. Intergalactic politics should be banned. At times, the thought of a few individuals affecting the lives of billions spread across light-years of space seemed ludicrous.

  ‘President Sheridan,’ she stated firmly and formally. ‘As a sovereign power within the ISA, we are well within our rights to decide not only what data should or should not be made available to our allies, but also to demand you supply us with any information that affects the security of the Earth Alliance. You said yourself before your inauguration: the ISA is a peacekeeper not a peacemaker. The responsibility of our security falls to our government.’

  ‘Susanna, you and I have worked together for more than a year.’ Sheridan was not pleading, but Luchenko could tell he was beginning to grow desperate for a result. ‘You know I have never lied to you and have kept all the promises we made. We believe there is a very real threat, and Earth is a potential target.’

  ‘Your supposition that the Narn are the primary target seems more likely to me. We were not part of the assault on Centauri Prime, and we were the foremost voice condemning it after the fact.’ She did not mention that Earth’s condemnation had come some time after the Narn and Drazi bombardment and was motivated just as much out of a need to maintain trade relations with the Republic once it became clear the Centauri were going to be isolated. The subsequent withdrawal of the Republic from the ISA after this protest had done much to bring humans face to face with the fact that the Earth Alliance was no longer the power it had been before the formation of the ISA.

  ‘Anyway,’ she continued. ‘You are asking the impossible. To collect sensor logs from all over the Earth Alliance? It would take weeks. At best.’

  ‘Susanna,’ said Sheridan a little sternly. ‘The Narn managed it within hours. You and I both know that Earth has far more sophisticated systems.’

  ‘I can’t speak for the Narn. I insist you provide us with the information you have so we can begin our own analysis of the threat. I remind you that our treaty with the ISA supports our right to this. You are infringing our sovereign rights by withholding this information.’

  ‘No we aren’t and you know it.’ Sheridan sighed. ‘The threat is credible enough that we will supply you with the energy signature you need to look for and our current attempts to track it from Centauri space. However, you know the capabilities we have here on Tuzanor. We can process that information much faster than you can. Every second may count here, Susanna.’

  ‘I believe you are overstating the matter now, President Sheridan. However, we will be grateful for any information you give us concerning our security from exterior threats.’

  ‘One more thing.’ This time Sheridan had a look that Luchenko did not mistake for anything but determination. Knowing his achievements and single-mindedness, she braced herself. ‘We have dispatched a White Star to Earth.’

  Before she could begin to protest, he raised a hand. ‘The Rangers on board have a good record and have been told to place themselves purely under your jurisdiction. They are being sent to act as liaisons between Earth and the ISA, though you are free to uses their skills as you see fit in connection with this threat.’

  It was Luchenko’s turn to sigh. ‘Okay, Mr. President. I’ll grant them clearance to EarthDome.’ She allowed a slight pause and then took a new tack. ‘We also need to discuss the re-opening of trade relations with the Centauri Republic.’

  Sheridan’s look was slightly incredulous, but he recovered quickly. ‘Not now Susanna, please. If this threat materialises, we will need to ensure it is indeed a rogue faction within the Republic that initiated it. Even if that proves true, I doubt the Narn, Drazi and many others within the ISA will be willing to give the Centauri much leeway.’

  ‘Mr. President, has it occurred to you that this threat may be a direct result of the Republic’s isolation?’ she said, leaning closer to the screen.

  Dropping his head for a moment, Sheridan suddenly seemed resigned. ‘Of course it has,’ he admitted. ‘But at the same time, we need to abide by the majority vote of the ISA. I would also remind you that terrorist action is not the proper response to their isolation from the ISA. You know our policy on that.’

  ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘But you also know where that policy has taken Earth in the past. Right up to the nuking of San Diego.’ Leaning back in her high-backed seat, Luchenko supported her head on one hand. ‘You and I both know the realities of the situation and why we can never give in to terrorists. But what responsibilities do you have when you may have created those terrorists yourself? What if terrorist action is the only route left open to them--as large as the Republic’s military remains, I doubt it could survive a full-scale war with the combined members of the ISA. What kind of future are you building here, John?’

  For once, he looked a little uncomfortable. ‘We all do what we can, Madam President. For now, our priority is stopping this attack from happening. We’ll deal with the fallout after that.’ He smiled sadly. ‘We always do.’

  July 5th 2263, White Star Intrepide, Hyperspace

  ‘Need any help?’ Shaw asked.

  ‘I do not believe there is enough room for two in here,’ Tilanna’s voice echoed. ‘I have almost finished.’

  Once again, Shaw found himself staring at Tilanna’s rear end. This time, however, it brought little pleasure. His mind was intermittently
drifting elsewhere. The young Religious Caste Minbari had her head and shoulders inside an inspection panel as she worked to detach an operations panel so they could both work on it in the open passageway. Wriggling out, an action which would have certainly grabbed Shaw’s attention a couple of days ago, she produced the foot-square purple-tinted panel and sat back, cross-legged, so he could see what she was doing. They had spent the morning doing maintenance work on the neutron laser as Tilanna had promised, but Shaw was not enjoying it as much as he had supposed.

  Manipulating an oval-shaped Minbari diagnostic tracker, Tilanna glanced up at him. ‘You have been unusually quiet today. That was the first question you have asked me, and I thought you would be more interested in the task at hand. Might I enquire to the problem?’

  He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but compassion. Shaw considered Tilanna a technician, but he momentarily forgot she had the religious upbringing her caste demanded. Her current position was simply a use of her skills, not what she was. In Minbari society, that was a vital difference that marked them apart from most humans.

  ‘Well. . .’ he started. ‘It’s not really a problem. Just something that’s been bugging me.’ Not yet starting her diagnostic process, she prompted him with a look. ‘It’s just something that passed between the Captain and I. We were talking on the bridge, and I started to ask about Coriana 6...’

  ‘Ah.’ Tilanna interrupted. ‘I presume you did not push the matter?’

  ‘No. One of the bridge crew gave me a look that told me to shut up.’

  ‘Probably wise,’ she said. ‘The Captain is the most able human Ranger I have served with.’

  Still that division between human and Minbari, thought Shaw. How long before that is fully eradicated from the Rangers?

  ‘She rarely rushes to conclusions, cares for her crew and is usually willing to listen to other opinions.’ She shrugged, a habit Shaw had never seen in a Minbari and which made him wonder whether she had picked it up from him or Sabine. ‘You cannot ask for more in a White Star captain,’ Tilanna continued. ‘But it is best not to enquire too closely about her past.’

  They sat in silence for a few seconds before Shaw asked the obvious question. ‘Why?’

  ‘Her husband was one of the Anla’Shok. They joined together, and he was captain of White Star 14. I have heard they were quite a formidable pair when in the same squadron.’

  ‘I would never have guessed she was married!’

  ‘She isn’t now. Her husband was killed at Coriana 6. His White Star was destroyed by a Shadow ship,’ Tilanna said simply.

  ‘Ah.’ That makes a degree of sense, he thought.

  ‘That was not the end for the Captain, unfortunately. Your President Clark discovered she belonged to the Anla’Shok, or Sheridan’s army, as he saw it. Her family were arrested and disappeared. They are still presumed dead.’

  ‘That’s . . . harsh.’ Shaw found the word inadequate, but it was as close as he could find. ‘How do you know all this?’

  Tilanna smiled, a sight Shaw found quite enchanting, despite himself. ‘Human Rangers are not the only ones to ‘gossip’, as I believe you call it. The information network of the Religious Caste within a closed environment such as a ship is quite efficient.’

  Shaw gave a short laugh.

  ‘With regards to our Captain,’ said Tilanna. ‘I believe she is able to focus all her pain towards the enemies of the Alliance. She has an incredible faith for what her duties demand. I have not seen her fight in battle myself, but I imagine that it would be quite an impressive sight.’ She shrugged again. ‘She might even give some of our Warrior Caste a run for their credits.’

  ‘Surely not,’ he smiled.

  Tilanna clicked her tongue. ‘Now you are just distracting us from our task. Attend.’ She gestured towards the panel on her lap. ‘This interfaces with the ship’s self-repair systems, tying them into the neutron laser and allowing it to sustain firing even while operating at less than twenty-percent efficiency.’

  Forcing his attention to technical matters, Shaw listened to Tilanna’s light voice as she delicately described the inner workings of a weapon capable of shattering the hull of a front-line warship.

  Chapter Seven

  July 6th 2263, EarthDome, Sol

  Sitting beneath the Seal of the Office of Earth President, Susanna Luchenko spent the morning as she often did; receiving visitors, reading reports from her staff, discussing and formulating policy with her best experts and generally ensuring the Earth Alliance would be in the same shape tomorrow as it was today. This office, situated in one of the highest towers within EarthDome, oversaw Lake Geneva, and the placid waters below the rolling mountains could instil a feeling of tranquillity, even after more than a year in office. Though she could, in theory, perform all her duties in EarthForce One while visiting colony worlds, Luchenko rarely felt at ease working during long-distance space flights. There was just something about the artificial gravity, or the recycled air, or something that did not agree with her psyche. Far better to stay on Earth and leave space travel to those who enjoyed it. A quiet alarm sounded, indicating a visitor waiting in her secretary’s office next door, and Luchenko raised a hand to announce she was ready.

  Sweeping past the aide who had opened the door for him, an EarthForce Major strode up to her desk and stood quietly until she acknowledged his presence. Tall with a dark moustache, he seemed to be the very archetype of a senior EarthForce officer, ready to appear on any recruitment poster. Cancelling the report on her screen, she looked up.

  ‘Yes, Major?’

  ‘Madam President, a White Star has just jumped in system and is on course for Earth,’ he said.

  ‘It has been given clearance?’

  ‘Yes. Traffic control is routing it here. We are expecting it to land within half an hour.’

  ‘Make sure the Ranger on board is shown to me promptly. Let’s see just what ‘aid’ President Sheridan has in mind for us. You understand, Major?’

  ‘Yes, Madam President.’

  ‘How is the search for Dilgar weapon progressing?’ Luchenko enquired.

  ‘The Joint Chiefs agree with your assessment that the Narn are a more likely target. However, the energy signature provided by the ISA has been fed into our systems, and our top counter-terrorism team is monitoring the process. If it is anywhere within the Earth Alliance, we’ll find it.’

  ‘Keep me informed,’ she said, dismissing him with a nod of the head.

  ‘Thank you, Madam President.’ The Major turned and left as smartly as he had arrived.

  Susanna Luchenko was vaguely aware that her aide remained in the office, but that was a distraction she had learned to ignore while she had still been a senator. Get into this level of politics and you are never alone--one of the prices you had to pay to serve your fellow man. She reviewed a report from the Joint Chiefs advising her of possible military cooperation with the Narn when the Centauri terrorist attack struck at their Homeworld. A cruiser fleet here, a carrier task force there, and the Earth Alliance would join the other ISA members in loudly condemning the Republic’s complicity in the actions of its citizens. Whether or not that was strictly true.

  Emperor Mollari had visited Earth after the civil war and was instrumental in the creation of the ISA. Along with G’Kar and Delenn, he had proposed Earth’s membership to the ISA, and Luchenko remembered the man well, for he made quite an impression. She could not believe he would strike at any enemy in this way. Indeed, despite his inauguration speech in which he had roused the despondent spirit of his people, recently attacked by Narn and Drazi fleets, Luchenko believed Mollari did not view ISA members as a real threat to his Republic. On the other hand, she could easily see that not all Centauri nobles would feel the same way as their Emperor and, given that many of them wielded a great deal of power within the Centaurum, Sheridan’s assessment of a rogue House or conspiracy within the Republic seemed logical. She hoped the Narn would not suffer too heavily in this attack, and
that any response they made would be measured. The existence of the ISA, at least, could help with that, restraining the Narn from what would be their first, violent impulse.

  She signed off on the report, giving the order that would divert more than two-dozen ships and thousands of personnel from their usual patrol routes to form battle fleets on the edge of the Earth Alliance and, should EarthForce get the permission it expected, within Narn space as well. Luchenko predicted some rogue faction within the Republic would be identified by the Rangers soon enough, and the ISA would lay out rules of engagement permitting limited strikes against any assets they held while leaving the rest of the Republic more or less intact. It would be done in such a way that the attacking fleets would be gone before the Centauri could respond, thereby avoiding direct confrontation, and the risk of war, with their military forces.

  Clean and easy is how it always appeared here in her office. However, Luchenko had seen the wreckage of the fleet that had liberated Earth from her predecessor, hulks and wrecks spinning slowly in orbit as they trailed a cloud of human debris. Knowing Earth needed time to rebuild and consolidate itself, Luchenko had avoided military conflict at every opportunity, a process made easier by her agreement to join the ISA. Given a choice, she would avoid the forthcoming retribution against the Centauri altogether, but valuable political capital could be made in demonstrating solidarity with the Narn. EarthForce personnel in the ships she sent were probably not in any real danger during what would effectively be hit and run attacks, if it even came to that.

  The alarm announcing another visitor bleated its subdued tone once more, but both the President and her aide were surprised as an EarthForce colonel burst into the office, his bald head glistening from running from the Situation Room. Luchenko looked up in amazement--not out of irritation but surprise at a high-ranking EarthForce officer breaking protocol like this. A slow feeling of dread percolated within her stomach as it dawned on her that no officer would act in this way unless something was very, very wrong.