Visions of Peace

by Matthew Sprange

  ‘Well. . .’ he said. ‘President Sheridan gave you a temporary assignment to the Anla’Shok. That makes us equals, right?’

  She considered this. ‘I lack your training and have not been through the trials required by the Anla’Shok.’

  ‘True,’ he answered. ‘But you have your own temple training that I know nothing about--you have skills I could not even begin to master. It seems President Sheridan knows this and that is why he made the appointment.’

  ‘However unofficial it may be,’ Tilanna said, looking pointedly at him.

  ‘Given the situation, I hardly think that matters.’

  ‘You are probably right ... Michael.’

  ‘Better,’ said Shaw, with a wry smile. ‘What was that about House Kaado?’

  ‘It seems that House attracted some interest from the intelligence centre long before this attack on Earth.’

  Shaw paused for a few seconds, turning ideas over in his head. ‘That does us no good. We can prove very little, other than the facility we visited was used, at some point, to store the device. It is not a smoking gun we are looking for--we only need to visit the ruins of EarthDome to find that. What we need is motive--and a good reason to indicate that the Centauri Republic as a whole was not responsible.’

  He turned to face her, his leg brushing hers.

  ‘Luchenko already has the same information we do. If we go to her with this, we have nothing else to back it up. The Earthers are in shock; their pride has been wounded. They are looking for someone to blame, and Luchenko will be under pressure to do something, anything--and that will likely be military action.’

  Tilanna shook her head, a little sadly, he thought. ‘It seems incomprehensible to me that an entire people can be moved to aggression without ample evidence.’

  ‘Well, you could say that was exactly what happened when your people went to war against us,’ Shaw said quickly, then immediately regretted it.

  Tilanna paused for a few seconds and then whispered quietly. ‘That was different.’

  ‘Maybe. We have to keep searching. We won’t find an answer in the information sent to us from Tuzanor--if anything substantial was there, someone far cleverer than us would have found it.’ This, at least, drew a slight smile from Tilanna. ‘It may help us though, if we can uncover something else, something we are missing right now.’

  ‘I agree,’ she said simply and turned back to her station.

  They both looked up as a quick rap on the wall of their booth announced the presence of an EarthForce ensign.

  ‘I was sent to fetch you, err, Rangers,’ he said. ‘Something has happened.’

  Hurrying out of the booth to the centre of the communications hub, Shaw and Tilanna were immediately struck by the increased activity of the EarthForce personnel present. If anything, more blue uniforms rushed around. Luchenko was in the middle of a cluster of high-ranking officers, leaning over a display as she repeatedly asked for clarifications from an unseen voice.

  A colonel stepped out from the scrum to intercept Shaw. ‘Rangers, we have just had news--sketchy at the moment as we are just getting information in.’

  ‘Trouble?’ Shaw asked, already fairly sure he knew the answer.

  ‘The carrier group Corax is missing, presumed destroyed. They were in deep space, waiting for orders, when we lost contact. An Oracle scout was dispatched to their location and reports signs of a battle, though no substantial wreckage has been found. The President is talking with the Oracle’s captain now.’

  ‘You think it was the Centauri,’ Shaw said.

  ‘Who else?’ said the colonel. ‘I am afraid this changes everything. As the duly appointed representative of the ISA, I must ask you what support you will give us.’

  For a second, this question stumped Shaw, and his first reaction was to run to a communications terminal to reach Sheridan. Dismissing the impulse, he pushed past the colonel and into the middle of the EarthForce officers surrounding Luchenko.

  ‘Sorry, Colonel, I must speak to the President.’

  Shaw immediately sensed that his Anla’Shok robes gave him at least a measure of authority among even admirals and generals. His bearing and demeanour surely did not. The Rangers were still something of a mystery on Earth, even the human members, and this lent an air which few directly questioned. After all, he was the representative of the Interstellar Alliance.

  He listened to Luchenko’s closing words with the scout captain.

  Agreed, Captain. Widen your search and report back. But if you see any trouble ... That’s right. Get yourself out of there; we will need you later. Don’t take risks. Luchenko out.’

  If the President had slept since the disaster at EarthDome, she showed no signs of it. Shaw noted the bags under Luchenko’s eyes and the wrinkles of strain across her brow, but she retained a look of such raw determination, even fury, that he imagined she could go on for many hours more on pure adrenaline.

  ‘We have just bits and pieces at the moment--literally,’ she said. ‘Captain Leverstock reports that while there is no wreckage, micro debris is strewn across a wide area. More to the point, residual energy scans all point to a heavy discharge of Centauri-grade weaponry, as well as our own. Clearly a battle was fought there.

  ‘That’s it then,’ said a tall admiral to Shaw’s left, her lilting voice an odd contrast to her words. He had heard her called Keynes earlier. ‘We are under attack from the Republic. Madam President, you already have our recommendations.’

  ‘I do. Admiral--’

  ‘Madam President, if I may,’ said Shaw, interjecting. He was acutely conscious of every high-ranking officer nearby staring at him.

  Luchenko raised her head to acknowledge him, though he could sense her impatience.

  ‘I must insist on restraint,’ he began. ‘By the laws of the Interstellar Alliance, you cannot take unilateral action against the Centauri.’

  ‘Actually, I have to disagree,’ said Admiral Keynes, looking down her long nose at Shaw. The authority of the Rangers was not universal among EarthForce officers after all, he reflected. ‘The Centauri are no longer part of the ISA, by their own choice. They have initiated hostilities against us, and we have every right to take pre-emptive action to defend ourselves.’

  Shaw pointedly turned from Keynes to concentrate on Luchenko. ‘Madam President, please, you are not at war yet. We don’t know exactly what happened to the carrier group. If the Centauri were serious about starting a fight, would you not see attacks across their entire border, perhaps even into Earth space itself?’

  From over his shoulder came Keynes’ voice once more. He had to confess, its tone was beginning to irritate him. ‘They may have just not found our other deep space task forces yet.’

  Ignoring the admiral, he pressed on. ‘Madam President, we have some good leads. We do not believe the Centauri Republic as a whole is responsible for these attacks. With just a little more time--’

  ‘I am sorry,’ said Luchenko. ‘I have the safety of the entire Earth Alliance to consider, not to mention the men and women manning ships near Republic space. I might have believed a rogue House was responsible for the attack on EarthDome, but a military force strong enough to destroy a carrier group? That is just not believable. That was an action undertaken by the Centauri military, not a group of disgruntled nobles. Admiral!’

  The admiral strode forward, positioning herself between Shaw and the President. He swore she actually clicked her heels while standing to attention.

  ‘Order the fleets into Centauri space,’ said Luchenko. ‘Make sure they understand the protocols we discussed. If this is not a prelude to an all-out war, we don’t want to start one inadvertently. Have them jump into the listed systems and show the Centauri we will not tolerate any attacks. In deference to our friends in the ISA, we will not initiate hostilities--under no circumstance should any ship open fire before it is fired upon. We just want to show our presence and prepare for the blockades if needed.’

  ‘If the Centauri
attack our fleets?’ asked Admiral Keynes.

  ‘Then we will respond with deadly force.’

  July 8th 2263, House Kaado, Centauri Prime

  Veneta Kaado looked ruefully at the empty Brivari bottle in his hand before dropping it to the side of the settee. He lost track how many hours he and Territt had been in his bunker and, in truth, he was beginning to get bored. Hours had past since the attack on Earth. In fact, he was pretty sure it had happened the day before. Minister Territt had stopped drinking a while before and stayed intent on watching the news channels displayed on the huge screen before them. Veneta had been woolgathering, enjoying the effects of the Brivari as he indulged in self-congratulation. Territt’s attention on the screen annoyed him, and he considered it something close to bad manners to halt the celebration so suddenly. Even if only two Centauri were present, they had a duty to celebrate their successes. It was just the way things were done.

  He groped for a second bottle on the floor, knowing he had already emptied it but feeling compelled to check once more. More bottles waited in his cellar, Veneta knew, but he would not summon a servant here, in the bunker. He sniffed. He, at least, intended to follow tradition even if Territt was boorish. The suffering endured by a lack of more Brivari was, of course, another duty he had to shoulder. Adherence to duty maketh the noble, after all.

  ‘It’s been too long,’ said Territt, bringing Veneta out of his reverie. ‘We should have heard something by now.’

  Veneta struggled to focus. Ah yes, their conspiracy. He no longer knew how long it was since Territt made his call to the attack squadron but guessed this was causing the Minister’s concern. Squinting at the screen, he gradually deduced one problem.

  ‘You have it on an Abbai channel.’

  Territt’s examined the screen, a little perplexed. ‘So it is,’ he decided. ‘Still, makes little difference, eh? So many aliens out there!’

  Veneta laughed. ‘True words, Minister. We ought to do something about that.’

  ‘One major plot at a time, my friend,’ Territt said as he searched for the screen control, rooting around the settee beneath him to locate it. ‘Let’s get back to the Earthers ...’

  ‘Did you know the Abbai were pacifists?’ Veneta mused.

  ‘Ridiculous, isn’t it? The Dilgar should have wiped them out when they had the chance.’

  Ah, the Dilgar. A most impressive people.’

  Territt shrugged. ‘If you think so. They couldn’t stay the distance though. No sense of destiny. Only one race in the galaxy truly deserves the greatness it was born with.’

  Nodding, Veneta was about to respond when Territt hushed him. Looking at the screen, Veneta saw the Minister had located the ISN feed once more. Clearly the presenter on the screen was agitated about something, and Veneta tapped his foot impatiently while Territt reversed the feedback several minutes to catch the beginning of the report. The slightly greying male presenter started formally in the studied way human newsreaders were trained to speak, but his lethargy gradually gave way to excitement at the incoming news.

  ‘We have received confirmation of today’s earlier rumours that the Centauri have struck at one of our task forces. EarthForce has released the names of the ships destroyed--the carrier Corax, cruisers Ares, Eros, Lexington and Persephone, and the dreadnought Dowding. No survivors have been found, and it appears none are expected to be recovered. Officials within EarthForce have confirmed that Centauri ships were responsible for the sudden attack, and that it occurred in Narn space.

  At this time, we have no word of whether the attack is linked to the destruction of EarthDome yesterday, or whether war has officially been declared by either side. We have ISN Military Correspondent Dan Withers online to tell us a bit about EarthForce procedure in this situation and what we can expect to see next. Dan, is this an inevitable prelude to war?’

  The screen flickered as the image of a much younger man filled the screen, but Territt fingered the control once again to one of the many Centauri news channels.

  ‘I wanted to see that,’ protested Veneta. ‘Why are you looking at this court gossip?’

  Territt smiled. ‘My friend, what laughably passes for news reports in our Republic has some uses. Observe.’

  Growing dark, the screen displayed a star field that slowly panned around to reveal a blue-green world. Two of the largest warships Veneta had ever seen hung in orbit above its verdant surface, both dwarfing the dozen Primus battlecruisers that held steady formation with them. He had seen technical diagrams of these vessels before but had paid them little interest. Line drawings and specification charts did them no justice, and his breath was taken away with some real scale to relate them to. That his people were capable of building such ships made him feel intensely proud. The voiceover relayed events as the two ships fired their massive engines, slowly leaving orbit under the escort of the battlecruisers.

  ‘As unexpected as the arrival of both the Turhan and the Cartagia at our supply colony on Gorash was, more surprising was their recent departure, as seen here. Never before have two Octurions flown together in the same fleet and certainly not with so many battlecruisers. Unnamed sources in the Royal Court have told us that the Turhan and Cartagia will be voyaging throughout our border worlds, demonstrating our resolve to resist the insidious accusations of the Interstellar Alliance and, in particular, Earth. The Emperor himself is said to believe that the Republic will be blamed for every mishap the ISA suffers and that we must show willingness to defend ourselves so the terrible attack on Centauri Prime can never be repeated.’

  Muting the screen, Territt turned to Veneta. ‘You know what that means?’

  ‘Mobilisation,’ Veneta said, nodding. ‘It’s working.’

  ‘Indeed. Now for the final piece of the puzzle,’ said Territt as he once again accessed the ISN feed. Entering its menu system, he selected the most recent address from the Emperor.

  Turning back to the screen, Veneta rolled his eyes as the imposing image of Emperor Mollari appeared. ‘My friends of Earth,’ the Emperor said. ‘We Centauri have suffered alongside you for your recent tragedies. First the cowardly attack on your centre of government and now the loss of several ships as they travelled peacefully through Narn space. We condemn the conduct of your enemies, for we know the pain a dreadful attack like this causes.’

  ‘However, I must once again refute the rumours coming from within your own government that the Centauri Republic has any hand or purpose in these reprehensible actions. We Centauri are a peace-loving people and have no desire for war. We simply seek to rebuild our homeworld from the ruins left by the unwarranted attack by the Drazi and Narn.’

  Territt gave a callous laugh, ‘He doesn’t know what is going on.’

  ‘Of course not,’ said Veneta. ‘We made sure he wouldn’t.’

  ‘True.’ A minute passed by before Territt spoke again. ‘Veneta? Send for some more Brivari. I feel like celebrating.’

  July 8th 2263, Tuzanor, Minbar

  ‘Then help me understand, Londo. Just what is going on in the Republic?’

  Tuthenn stood dutifully out of the communication link’s field of view as the President of the Interstellar Alliance desperately tried to pick his way through the half-truths and evasions of the Centauri Emperor. The Ranger-Analyst had his own auxiliary screen, and he scrutinised it to glean any additional information he could on the state of the Emperor’s mind.

  ‘President Sheridan, I have already told you. The Republic has no interest in starting a war with anyone, let alone Earth. The very idea is preposterous.’

  Sheridan sighed. ‘Londo, you and I have known each other for years, and we have clashed before. But the stakes have never been so high. We might have been able to manage the attack on EarthDome, worked with you to find the perpetrators. Now things have escalated with this attack on an EarthForce fleet.’

  ‘And as I explained to you earlier, there is no possibility that Centauri ships were involved in that tragedy. All squadrons are ac
counted for.’

  ‘I’ll bet,’ Sheridan said. ‘I have just seen a report on the movements of your fleets. Londo, you have mobilised your entire military!’

  ‘So would you, President Sheridan, in my position. Earth has placed warships along our borders, and we have reason to believe the Narn will join them. Who knows what other fleets of your highly vaunted Alliance will join them?’ Londo sat back in his throne, imperiously staring down at Sheridan. ‘We will not tolerate any threat on our sovereignty. If Earth ships enter Centauri space, there will be war. You can be sure of that. Tell President Luchenko. There will be war.’

  Sheridan hammered a fist down next to his display. ‘Londo, that is exactly what I am trying to avoid! Damn it, man. We have been down this road before, and you know where that led.’

  ‘And that is what I will avoid, Sheridan. I have a duty to my people. We have suffered enough in recent years and have agreed to every demand your Alliance has made of us, simply so we can attend to our own problems in peace. It appears there are many in the galaxy that are all too ready to blame us for what goes wrong, who will not be satisfied until we are no more. I will not tolerate these constant attacks on our character.’

  ‘Character?’ Sheridan was faintly incredulous. ‘Londo, I know you realise what is at stake here. I have spoken directly with the captain of the ship dispatched to find what happened to the Corax and its task force. I know the man. I am satisfied with his assessment that, wherever they came from, the attackers were Centauri.’

  ‘They did not come from the Republic. All ships are accounted for. Have you considered looking into what the Narn are doing? You know they still possess many of our weapons.’

  ‘No way, Londo. You tried that line before. It did not work then, and it will not work now. The attack on EarthDome came from your Republic and the ships that destroyed the Corax were most certainly from your Republic. Londo, I have to ask; do you even know what your own military is doing?’