He didn't like what he was starting to hear. And Nick was he still holding something back?
If he was, though, maybe he had a good reason.
And that reason was Commander Ian Wallace.
CHAPTER 13
Beaming out my mind.
Garibaldi sometimes wondered what it would feel like. People were afraid of telepathsmost of them were, anyway. Having all your weaknesses exposed, all your worst secrets, the things about yourself you never wanted anyone to know. He certainly had enough secrets like that. And even with all the Psi Corps regulations and restrictions, he still sometimes had the uncomfortable suspicion that Talia Winters could tell what he was thinking.
The lift tube door opened, and there she was. Coincidence again? She glanced at him, then shut her eyes. She looked drawn-out, exhausted, pale. But from what?
Garibaldi had a good idea. Officially, at least, Ms. Winters was the only telepath currently on Babylon 5. So if anyone was reaming minds, she had to be the one doing it. Only, that didn't fit what he knew of Talia Winters. She just wasn't the mind-reaming kind. Not that they didn't exist. Garibaldi had met at least one Psi Cop who'd burn out your brain as soon as blink at you. But Talia, as much as she might like to present a cool, impervious exterior, was a sensitive. To have to probe into a cruel or deviant mind was actually a painful experience for her. Butit was her job. If it needed to be done, it was her duty. The Psi Corps took care of its own, but that was the cost.
And tonight it looked like the cost had been high.
Garibaldi had left his interview with Nick in a mood to bite off heads. Wallace's by preference, but he could think of a lot of other heads that would do. People being arrested all over his station and he didn't know about it?
But suddenly another source of information had presented itself. "Urn, Ms. Winters? Talia?"
She opened her eyes wearily. "Mr. Garibaldi?"
"You look tired. Would you maybe like a drink?"
"I don't know"
"There's something I'd like to ask you."
She sighed. "I could use a drink, actually. It's been a long day."
In the restaurant, she sank down into a chair and brushed back her blond hair away from her paler face with a gloved hand while Garibaldi went to get both their drinks, her wine and his water. "Thanks," she said, taking the glass.
"A hard day, huh?" Garibaldi asked. "I don't suppose it involved monitoring interrogations for Commander Wallace?"
She straightened, managed to look stern. "Mr. Garibaldi, you know I can't talk to you about that. If that's what you had in mind."
"Look, Ms. Winters, I'm not asking for a transcript of the questioning, I'm not trying to interfere with his investigation . . ." A slight pause, while he recalled that she could tell if he was lyingif he was thinking about her knowing he was lying . . .
"Look, I've talked to some people, and they're scared. People are being arrested, pulled in for questioning. Someone mentioned telepaths, 'reaming out your mind.' So, if it's not you ..."
"I see." She sighed again. "All right, Commander Wallace has asked me to assist in his investigation. But nobody's reaming out anyone's mind. I simply report if the witnesses are telling the truth. Just as I would in any investigation of this kind."
"And they've all agreed to this? The witnesses? They aren't being coerced?"
"Mr. Garibaldi, I can't say"
"But they are scared, aren't they?"
"It's perfectly natural for a person being questioned by the authorities to be apprehensive. You ought to know that."
"But the findings of a telepath aren't admissible in court."
"I don't believe . . . that a court of law is the question here," she admitted reluctantly.
"Have you heard anything about certain witnesses being shipped back to Earth for more questioning?"
"No, I don't know anything about that."
"And what about Commander Wallace? Is he telling the truth?"
"Mr. Garibaldi!"
"All right!" He admitted defeat with poor grace.
"I don't even know why you're asking me all these questions. After all, a man's been killed, there's a serious terrorist threat"
"Is there? Really?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?" He was genuinely curious.
"I've told you, it's against Psi Corps rules to intrude on a person's thoughts."
"All right, so you don't know what I mean. Tell me, do you think Commander Ivanova could really be involved with the Free Mars movement? With terrorists? That she had anything to do with Ortega's death?"
"I can't really say"
"But Wallace wanted her suspended from her command. Do you know why? Does he believe it?"
She shook her head, turning away from him. "You know I can't talk about that! Why do you keep asking me?"
"Because I want to help Ivanova. And find out the truth about what's going on around here. That's why."
Winters found her wine on the table, took a drink of it. "I'm not even sure if she'd want my help," she said slowly. "I'm not exactly Commander Ivanova's favorite person."
"You know, it's not personal," Garibaldi said.
"Oh, I do know. And I understand her reasons. I know how she feels about her mother and what the Psi Corps did to her. She looks at me, and all she sees is Psi Corps. I know that. But it doesn't make it any easier to deal with her. I've tried."
"You'd want to help her, though?"
"If I could. But I can't. Not if she doesn't agree. You do understand? I'd like to help her ..."
"I understand."
"There are rules."
"I know."
Winters twisted her fingers together, looked at her half-empty glass of wine. "You're that sure she isn't involved in . . . any of this?"
"As sure as if I'd read her mind," Garibaldi said firmly. "She's being set up. Framed. Wallace is doing it. I don't know the reason, but I'm sure."
"I see," Winters whispered, looking down into her wine. "I think I see."
It was early in the morning, but Captain Sheridan was already in the Command Office. So much to do. Babylon 5 was different than any command he'd ever held, diplomatic at least as much as military, and with so many civilians coming and going it was almost like commanding a city. At least he'd had an experienced executive officerup to now.
He missed Ivanova's support. There were other junior officers on the station, of course, but there was no one, really, to take her place, no one with the experience that she had of running this place. Without her, there seemed to be ten times as many calls, ten times as many emergencies he couldn't delegate to anyone else, had to handle himself, even when he recognized that he didn't really have all the necessary experience yet, either.
If only Ivanova hadn't gotten herself mixed up in this damned Ortega affair. That was something he wished would get cleared up and over with as soon as possible. He had enough problems right now, new to this command, without a terrorist threat hanging over the place.
Garibaldi had been in late last night, breathing fire, complaining that Wallace was establishing a police state on Babylon 5. That there were rumors spreading all over the station about people being arrested for no other reason than being from Mars. Rumors about forced telepathic probes, even torture, drugs.
But were the rumors true? Sheridan had asked. Were they even substantiated?
"I'm not sure yet how much they're substantiated," Garibaldi had said. "They're not groundless, I do know that. But even if they are just rumors, this points to substantial unrest on the station. The workers, the people we count on to run this place, are scared. They're scared and they're angry. In my opinion as Chief of Security, these rumors constitute a serious threat to order and safety.
"And another thing," he'd gone on, as if that much wasn't enough, "I understand that Commander Wallace has ordered the members of the security staff assigned to him not to take orders from me, not to report to me any details on what he's doing on the stat
ion. All these arrests going onmy own men were ordered to keep them from me. Hell, half the station knew about it before I did!"
So that was another problem Sheridan knew he was going to have to deal with sometime todayGaribaldi and Wallace fighting over jurisdiction again. He sighed.
"Captain Sheridan?"
Sheridan swore to himself, then took a breath. He might as well give up. Once it started, it wouldn't stop. "Yes? What is it?"
"Captain, Ms. Winters would like to meet with you. Are you available?"
Resigned, he said, "Yes, have her come in. Are there any other calls?"
"Not yet, Captain."
The telepath entered the office. She looked anxious, nervous about something. He smiled to put her at ease. "Ms. Winters. Come in, sit down. Is there a problem I can help you with?"
"Well, Captain ..." She sat straight and forward in the chair. "I'm sure you must know, Commander Wallace has asked me to help him question witnesses in the Ortega case. I know that it's part of my duty to assist the authorities in this kind of thing, but I really . . . Captain, can he require me to do this?"
Sheridan frowned, remembering what Garibaldi had said last night. "Why? Is there something wrong?"
"I don't know. Some of these people don't seem to have consented freely to being probed. Commander Wallace calls them witnesses to Ortega's murder, but most of them don't know anything about it. He talks about terrorism, but it seems to me that he's the one doing the terrorizing. I'm just not happy being involved in all this."
"I see. Well, Ms. Winters, if you mean can Commander Wallace order you to cooperate with him, the answer, strictly speaking, is no, he can't. You're not under military orders. On the other hand, as you know, your license as a telepath does require you to cooperate with the legally constituted authorities. You can refuse, but then Commander Wallace would have the right to complain to Psi Corps and possibly request the assistance of another telepath. You probably know better than I do how Psi Corps would react in that case."
Winters looked unhappy. "Well, yes, I'm aware of that. What I suppose I was wondering ... I mean, you outrank him, you're in charge of Babylon 5, can't you order Commander Wallace to conduct his investigation some other way? Besides dragging in all these innocent people?"
"I see," Sheridan said, more slowly this time. "There, we have a problem. I am in command of this station, but in the matter of this investigation, Commander Wallace's orders come directly from Earth Central. They give him full authority in the matter. So if you're asking exactly where my authority ends and his begins, that's kind of a gray area. What neither of us wants in this situation is to have to appeal to Earth Central."
"I understand."
"I can talk to the commander, of course. I can express your concerns."
"Thank you, Captain."
"I'm sorry I can't be any more help, Ms. Winters, but I'm afraid that if the commander insists on your cooperation, in the end, this will be between you and Psi Corps."
She stood. "I'm glad you could take the time to hear me."
Sheridan watched her leave, glad he wasn't a telepath. Psi Corps had its own discipline, different from the military. Secretive. The strongest telepaths assigned as cops to control the others. He supposed that was the way it had to be, but there was something sinister about it, definitely something sinister about the Psi Cops in their black uniforms.
He hoped Ms. Winters would be all right, but he'd only told her the truth: he couldn't really intervene to help her. Not, at any rate, without challenging Wallace.
But maybe Wallace would agree to see reason. He hoped so.
He toggled his link. "This is Captain Sheridan. Commander Wallace, I'd like to speak with you at the earliest possible opportunity today."
There was no reply. Sheridan ordered C&C: "Contact Commander Wallace for me, please. Have him call me. Make it a priority request."
But a moment later there was a reply. "Captain, there is no response from Commander Wallace."
Sheridan's expression hardened. "Contact him again. Keep trying until you do. I'm ordering him to report to my office. Now."
Wallace didn't show up in the next minute, or in the next ten minutes, but two hours later he was at the door to the Command Office. Sheridan could see the cold anger at being summoned. He didn't care.
"Commander, I called you some time ago. You didn't respond."
"I was interrogating a witness. I ordered all communications held."
"Commander, I'm starting to have some questions about your use of your authority on this station. You're adding to them right now. As commanding officer of Babylon 5, I'd appreciate a response when I try to contact you. Or do you consider yourself exempt from the requirement to observe normal Earthforce regulations and procedures?"
Wallace said stiffly, "No, I do not."
"In that case, I'll expect that in the future you'll make yourself available for emergency communications. Now, as I've said, there are starting to be some questions about the way you're conducting your investigation. There are rumors that you've been using unauthorized methods of obtaining information, and they're causing unrest on the station, to the point where it raises concerns about security. And the station's registered telepath has expressed reservations of her own."
But Wallace's expression was implacable. "Captain, I am not answerable to you about my conduct of this investigation. If your station has security problems, then Mr. Garibaldi will have to deal with them. That's his job, as he repeatedly insists.
"And if you want to question my authority, Captain, I suggest you contact Earth Central."
"I'll do that, then, Commander."
"Is there anything else, Captain?"
"No. You can go. But . . . stay in touch. That is an order."
CHAPTER 14
Somehow, it seemed a lot easier to breathe in the Command Office with Wallace gone. But Sheridan had an uneasy feeling he might have made a mistake. No doubt that he'd lost his temper, which was an effect Commander Wallace seemed to have on people. But now he was going to have to ask Earth Central to clarify just where the lines of authority lay, and there was no guarantee at all that he was going to like the answer when he got it.
But maybe it had been inevitable all along, ever since the first moment Wallace stepped foot onto Babylon 5. Garibaldi had seen it coming, tried to warn him.
Well, if it was inevitable . . .
"I'd like a Gold channel opened for a transmission to Earth."
He might as well get it over with.
Talia Winters paused before she opened the door of the interview room. Interrogation room was how she thought of it, part of Commander Wallace's private interrogation system, what he called his command post.
There was a man seated in a chair in the center of the room, and at her desk Lieutenant Miyoshi, who looked up with her flat black eyes. "You're late."
"I had other business. And an appointment with the captain."
"Every minute you're late delays this investigation." Miyoshi glared at her. "From now on, you don't have other business. You're the only registered telepath on this station. Our investigation requires your services. We were assured that you'd be available."
"Now, just wait a minute!"
"No, I've already been waiting! More than a minute! I have four more witnesses to examine today. They're all probably lying." Miyoshi turned back to her desk, unlocked a drawer, and took something from it. "I want you to look at this, Ms. Winters. Commander Wallace told me you've been questioning our authority."
Talia took the object reluctantly. It was a viewer card, and at the touch of her gloved hand, the PSI symbol took holographic form and rose, glowing, from the card. Simultaneously, the message forced itself into her mind: Obey. No questions. Obey.
Talia recoiled with a soft sound, and the card returned to its flat, featureless state. Miyoshi, watching her, had a faint smile on her lips. "Now do you question my authority, Ms. Winters?"
She shuddered. "No," she said faintl
y.
"Good," Miyoshi snapped. "Now, let's get to work. I've already wasted too much time, and I've got a lot of questions to ask."
"Commander Ivanova reporting as ordered, Captain."
Sheridan sighed inwardly. Reporting on time, correct, in uniform. Her salute could have been put into a textbook. Only her eyes were different, a different look in them, like defeat. He tried to pretend he didn't notice it.
"Commander. Please sit down. You know that I've been thinking about a temporary assignment for you, until things get straightened out. Now, I've been reading your report."
He paused, seeing her expression turn puzzled. "Your report on the current situation with the raiders," he explained. "How they're targeting strategic metals shipments. Very good analysis there. And some excellent suggestions."
"Then, have you . . . heard back from Earth Central about it?"
"Ah, no. Not yet. There was no reply except that they'd be studying the matter further."
"Oh."
"Well, as I said, there are some excellent suggestions here. I especially agree that if your analysis is correct it ought to be easy to identify the transports at highest risk for attack and supply them with an escort. I knowyour report stressed the factthat our resources are too thin to provide escorts to every freighter who comes through into Grid Epsilon. But if we do as you suggest, identify the transports coming out of Marsport with these cargoes of morbidium and other strategic metals, I think we'll see results that more than justify the effort." He paused. Ivanova looked suddenly stunned. "Commander?"
"Uh, yes, sir. Transports coming out of Marsport. Shipments of morbidium. That's right."
"Yes. Now, what I want you to do is take command of Alpha Wing and pursue this strategy as vigorously as possible. Once the vulnerable shipments are identified, the routing and scheduling information plotted, you'll be able to intercept the transports and escort them in.
"Do you have any questions?"
"No, sir. I appreciate your giving me this assignment, very much."
Babylon 5 02 - Accusations (Tilton, Lois) Page 9
