with The Editor: UK Atheist & Science E-Zine, Ben Slythe & Paul Hollings
Sheridan was having a bad day.
Ambassador Mollari had been badgering him all day … "when exactly were the Centauri going to be allowed access to the U.S.S. Enterprise?" "When was Sheridan going to take a decisive stand on this matter?" "When was the Alliance going to officially notify member races of the existence of the new race?" "When..." and so on. On top of that Ambassador G'Kar had been trying to arrange a meeting with him, Commander Ivanova had wanted to know when the Enterprise would be moved to a more suitable docking position and Ambassador Delenn, was asking him when he'd be back for dinner. Well, when she wasn't making tough demands that the Minbari Federation be allowed access to the alternative Earth spaceship. She could be so damned persistent ... and irritating!
He was striding rapidly through the Zocolo, barely aware of the intrigued glances and the odd word of greeting when his link warbled.
"Sheridan go…" he still hadn't quite shaken his old military style speech pattern.
Ivanova's voice, tinny through the link, spoke up. "Mr. President, Captain Picard has requested your immediate attendance aboard Enterprise". "Dammit Susan … don't I have enough on my plate…" "Mr. President, Sir!" "Yes what?" "Captain Picard has insisted that this is of the highest possible priority!" "Has he?" snarled Sheridan "He has also suggested you might like to bring someone along with some medical expertise".
Sheridan paused momentarily ... despite being irritated his interest was now piqued.
"OK. Could you arrange for Stephen to meet me in Launch Bay 4 in 30 minutes". "Yes, Mr. President. Ivanova out."
"Shuttle Timor" you are cleared for approach to Aft Shuttle Bay.
As the EA Shuttle glided smoothly towards the rear of the Enterprise a wall slid away in front of them and "Timor" shuddered with braking rockets as she touched down in the Enterprises clean white shuttle bay. As they disembarked Sheridan couldn't help but notice how clean & new the Enterprises shuttles looked in comparison to their EA counterpart. He also couldn't help noticing the somewhat rocket scarred area beneath the "Timor".
A security detail was waiting and he and Franklin were escorted to a "turbolift" and then to an aesthetically clean & white room that Sheridan quickly realised was the Sickbay of the Enterprise. Captain Picard was already present talking to a tall auburn headed woman who, after a few seconds, he recognised as Dr. Beverly Crusher, The Enterprises Chief Medical Officer.
Confidence assured Sheridan strode forward the smooth politician taking over.
"Captain Picard? Dr. Crusher? Can I introduce you to Dr. Stephen Franklin, Babylon 5's Chief Surgeon? "I'm terribly sorry Mr. President..." said Picard brushing aside the pleasantries. "Apologies already?." "... but, if you'll let me finish, I think there's something you ought to see!"
Sheridan stared at Picard then followed him towards what looked to be a futuristic operating table of some sort. Lying there, apparently asleep, was a man. Something tugged at the corner of Sheridan's mind as he tried to make sense of Picard's words. Dr. Crusher bent over the operating table and made some adjustments ... a barely audible pulsed, humming noise became slightly louder and several displays appeared to quicken.
"... was picked up just after we arrived and placed in a temporary stasis field. Dr. Crusher has since been tending to his requirements and he has begun to make excellent progress. He..."
Visions of orders, and lists we're passing through Sheridan's mind and the name of a fury pilot, Michael Yueng, came to his attention.
"... differences in our medical technologies ..."
Michael Yueng? He was in an accident wasn't he? Stayed behind to guard Babylon 5. Killed when his fury went out of control and impacted a ... what was it ... a MaintBot ... but ... but ...
"... a hundred years at least ..." "But he's dead!" Sheridan blurted. "Mr. President?" queried Picard, "Have you understood anything I've been saying?"
Considering the bad day, the fatigue, the uncomfortable journey (Sheridan still lacked confidence in this transporter thing he'd heard so much about) and the shock of seeing, apparently alive, a recently deceased pilot, Sheridan recovered quickly. Within a few seconds he'd reviewed and understood the one-sided conversation that he and Picard had had and adjusted to several uncomfortable facts. Dead people weren't necessarily dead, Federation medical technology was significantly more advanced than EA and that pilot lying there on the bench was beginning to gain consciousness.
"You can bring people back from the dead?" asked Sheridan. "By your standards, yes", replied Picard, "But we're still bound by immutable laws. People die and dead people stay dead!" "Then...?" "Our definitions of death are not quite so rigid as yours" said Crusher.
Sheridan, unsure of what to say, looked around him. His eyes settled on a second operating table and the quiet form upon it.
"One of your crew?" he asked. "No" said Picard, "This one was beamed out of an alien ship that attacked us when we first arrived in this universe". At the look of alarm on Sheridan's face Picard quickly assured him it was destroyed.
At a sound behind him, Sheridan turned back to the pilot whose eyes had opened.
"Captain..." he croaked.
Picard looks at Sheridan in surprise.
"...what happened?" "Rest easy son" says Sheridan, "you've been in an accident" "But ... " "Rest!" said Sheridan.
"Perhaps we should leave the two scientists to discuss the impacts of this more fully whilst we, ah, take a little walk around the ship? You haven't seen much of the Enterprise have you? "No I haven't, by all means Captain. Stephen, could you provide me with report on this?" "Yes Mr. President."
Sheridan sat in the chair to Picard's left. The tour, brief though it was, had lasted over an hour and now they were on the bridge looking at Babylon 5 occupying most of the viewscreen and even then not all of it was visible.
"Well Captain", said Sheridan, "I really must return to the station..." "Captain Picard?" interrupted Data. "Yes Mr. Data" "I am picking up a disturbance in local red-space." "A ships Jump Engines?" suggested Sheridan. "Unlikely!" responded Data, "this is more like the readings we had when the black ship we encountered two weeks ago ran to red-space" "Full alert! Shields to maximum Mr. Worf! Inform Babylon 5 that there may be an attack in progress" "Sir"
"Black ship?" asked Sheridan a look of concern and disbelief on his face. "Yes we encountered..." began Picard "A black, spider-like, ship?" asked Sheridan in a hardening voice
Picard looked at him and nodded.
"Can you beam me back to Babylon 5?" Sheridan stood up. "I'm sorry Mr. President" replied Picard, "With our shields up we can't transport. Come about to 324 Mr. Data" "Sir. Babylon 5 reports it is powering up its defence grid. It is launching fighters"
As the Enterprise moved into position space ahead appeared to shimmer and a black ship materialised. Significantly larger than the first they had encountered this one immediately blossomed with 12 accompanying ships, looking for all the world like deadly flowers. They sped towards Babylon 5 whilst the black ship sat in space, immobile, their beams licked out and forward.
"Drakh" said Sheridan. Counsellor Troi, to Picards right, looked slightly queasy.
Had Babylon been caught defenceless they would have been badly damaged, possibly crippled in the first attack but the Enterprise's warning had allowed them to launch two full squadrons of furies and more were being cleared. The defence grid was active and firing and the guarding ships, two Minbari Sharlins and three WhiteStars, were moving to defend.
Energy beams collided in huge coruscating splashes of energy and the Drakh fighters wove in and out of the patterns of fury fire, taking small hits on the way, as they pushed to get closer to the station. Two of the Drakh ships fell foul of Babylon 5's defence grid.
The Enterprise was positioned between the attacking ships and Babylon 5 and silence reigned as the defending ships moved towards her position.
"Sir, we're being targeted by Trigati's Honour!" said Riker. "Back away at half-impulse, Mr. Data!" "Trigati's Honour is powering up her main beam and preparing to fire" "Three quarter impulse, Mr. Data!"
The lights flickered, sirens sounded and the ship shuddered as the Minbari fired her slicer beam striking the Enterprise amidships. The beam stopped moments later as energy flooding from the Enterprises shields revealed the alternative Earth shop's silhouette and the mistake they had just made.
"Shields down to 74% Captain" "Running lights on, continue backing away Mr Worf"
The Enterprise moved further backwards and the Trigati's Honour fired again ... a sustained shot this time. The shadow ship twisted weakly in the beam and the second Minbari, Dukhat's Blood, opened up to catch the monstrous black ship in crossfire.
Perhaps it was something about the Enterprises computers, perhaps it was Data (no one ever found out) but the Shadow ship crumpled like tissue paper and, almost immediately the viewscreen went black then faded back in. The Shadow ship was nowhere to be seen and the Drakh had turned and were now headed towards the Enterprise at high speed.
"Oh Hell!" Said Sheridan. "Evasive manoeuvres Mr. Data" "Sir" "Shields 53%" Captain" said Worf. "Babylon 5 has informed us that the explosion has badly affected sensors on all defence grid elements. They are on manual targeting and are requesting assistance! The Minbari ships are similarly affected but the WhiteStars are still fully active." "Phasers select independent targets and fire ... target incoming hostiles only Mr. Worf!" "Aye Sir!"
The Enterprise fired and a Drakh ship exploded, almost immediately three more exploded under fire from the WhiteStars. The remaining six continued towards the Enterprise. The Enterprise fire again and the lead Drakh ship disintegrated.
"Jump Gate is activating Sir"
Behind the Drakh ships a blue, conical light sprang into being and two Omega Class destroyers fell into normal space. Almost immediately they began to fire ... another Drakh ship disintegrated. Immediately the remaining Drakh turned and fled towards the JumpGate pursued by the three WhiteStars.
"Lay in an intercept course and execute Mr. Data. Mr. Worf continue to target hostiles" "Sir" echoed Data & Worf. "Mr. President ... is it worth attempting to capture one of these, ah, Drakh ships" "Yes" said Sheridan. "Lock tractors on rear vessel Mr. Data" "Unable to comply Captain. The hull is composed of some kind of organic material that is impervious to our tractor beams." "Can you lock onto an occupant and beam it over here" "I will try Sir"
One by one, under sustained fire from the WhiteStars and Omega launched furies, the Drakh ships defences failed and continued to drift in the direction of the JumpGate ... the last one was destroyed just as the JumpGate began to glow with yellow light.
"Mr. Data?" "We have successfully beamed over one occupant from the last Drakh ship. We were able to penetrate the hull of the last Drakh ship at the point it's hull began to disintegrate, unfortunately this has meant that our prisoner is seriously injured. It was beamed immediately to Medical."
"Babylon 5 is hailing all ships Sir?" Said Mr. Worf. "Put it on Mr. Worf." Said Picard.
Susan Ivanova's voice, sounding serious but tired, came over the ships speakers. "This is Commander Ivanova to all ships please return to base ... well done! Enterprise? Please accept our gratitude ... we owe you one!"
A few moments later her voice returned this time sounding a little lighter. "Oh yes ... Enterprise? Ambassador Delenn would like to know when we can have our President back?"
For what felt like the first time that day, Sheridan smiled.
In the Enterprises Sickbay Crusher & Franklin were fighting to save a patients life. Despite the advanced nature of the facilities Franklin was a quick student and was already a more than able assistant to Dr. Crusher.
"Hell Stephen ... I don't even know where to begin with this creature ... if I didn't know better I'd say he wasn't all here. He appears to be almost shifting between our space and somewhere else."
Stephen's fingers flew across the console and a hypo passed vapour across what passed for the aliens' skin into its system. It was hopeless ... no matter what they did, the displays continued to slow and the outlook seemed to worsen.
"We know so very little about these creatures except for what Delenn told us and some fragmentary knowledge, almost folklore, from my research into alien biologies. Even that's useless with the B5 data link down. "Well you've got one up on me ... at least you live in this Godforsaken place! Uh ... sorry I didn't mean that!"
Suddenly, as if by magic, the medical monitors darkened and there was a feeling of malevolence in the air. Franklin & Crusher stepped warily back from the table, Crusher drawing a phaser from her belt.
The atmosphere suddenly went cold and with a vague sighing sound, something seemed to leave the room. The displays normalised and the room returned to normal. Cautiously Dr. Crusher stepped to the table but the patient was dead.
"Damn!" she muttered.
""Chapter 5: Diplomacy""
"Chapter 7: On The Prowl"
"Enterprise in Babylon: Rules, Guidelines & Submissions"
"The Enterprise In Babylon"