He had no way to predict how House Kaado could have obtained Dilgar technology or materials but, for the immediate future, that was less relevant. What would the Centauri do with it was the question of the hour. Engineer a new type of reactor that could meet the power requirements of an entire world? Produce a new type of drive that would enable the Centauri fleet to strike at any system they wished? Design a new type of weapon? The latter two were clearly worst-case scenarios, and so Tuthenn decided to concentrate his initial analysis there. Whittling them down to a single choice was an easy matter. The movements of the Centauri fleet were, by and large, well known to the ISA, and any extensive refits would have been detected. Tuthenn also understood the nature of sentient life: almost every race, on discovering a new type of energy, concentrated development on its destructive qualities before any other application.
With the resources of the entire Republic, the Centauri might be able to reproduce the Dilgar technology--they were certainly one of the few races in the galaxy capable of such a task. However, everything Veneta Kaado did implied covert activity. Of course, this might be nothing more than an attempt to give the Republic as a whole a certain level of deniability but, following the worst-case analysis, it made a degree of sense. Engineering a new weapon and then manufacturing it in quantities sufficient to arm a fleet took time. A single prototype could be brought to bear on an enemy much more quickly.
Who would it be aimed at? Tuthenn had an instinctive answer but, as always, he subjected himself to analysis of hard information rather than pursue what he had heard human members of the Anla’Shok call a ‘hunch’.
Veneta Kaado had been meeting with nobles from a wide range of backgrounds. Some were simply skilled politickers, others had weak Houses he no doubt wanted to take advantage of, and still more had trade or other financial benefits to grant. By no means a majority, but at least a significant portion, shared the common trait of being outspoken against Emperor Mollari and his handling of the ISA isolation of the Republic, which had cut deeply into the Centauri economy. Every Centauri bore resentment, Tuthenn knew, and these individuals not only railed against their Emperor but also displayed an intense hatred of the alien races that forced them into their present position. Some races they blamed more than others.
This led Tuthenn to consider four possible targets for a weapon. In reverse order of likelihood as he judged it, this would mean the Drazi Freehold, the Earth Alliance, the Narn Regime and, finally, the Minbari Federation.
The Drazi had fought alongside the Narn when they bombarded Centauri Prime and were instrumental in encouraging the Narn to proceed with the assault. As far as the Earth Alliance was concerned, the most prominent figure in the ISA was its President, John Sheridan, a human from Earth. If the Centauri wanted to strike at the man, they could do far worse than hit at his homeworld. The Narn Regime was always a target for Centauri hatred and oppression, and the assault on Centauri Prime now gave them more reason than ever. However, the organising body of all these races was now the ISA. He sat in the headquarters of the Alliance, in the capital Tuzanor, which was also the personal home of John Sheridan and Delenn, the founders of the ISA. There was truly no better target, and Tuthenn gave the possibility of an attack on Tuzanor within the next month an 84% probability. Calmly, he sent this brief analysis to his superiors. Forewarned, they would increase the alert status of Rangers within the Minbari Federation and vastly reduce the possibility of a successful attack.
This was all conjecture, of course, and Tuthenn greatly disliked sending any report based on anything but complete and solid facts. However, if an attack were likely, time would also be a factor. With the preliminary analysis complete, he could now review incoming data in greater depth to either strengthen his original hypothesis or dispute it and form a replacement.
He spent several hours studying existing data surrounding House Kaado for more clues to their intent. A chime indicating new information interrupted Tuthenn’s meditations--his long-reaching search had managed to return a positive. Fingers rapidly sliding over the controls of his three screens, Tuthenn was eager to see if his original analysis could be confirmed.
The same energy signature had been detected in a customs checkpoint in, of all places, the Narn system of Quadrant 14. This surprised Tuthenn a little, as it meant the Narn had been unusually speedy in answering the ISA’s requests for information, but he also knew they were eager for certain technology concessions from the Alliance. The unique signature was indeed noted by a Narn customs officer but, as the container emitting it had legitimate transfer records from his own Homeworld and they were not registering as dangerous, he passed it with no other comment.
Tuthenn expected a customs checkpoint to react this way when dealing with strange but non-dangerous readings on a container with legal paperwork. What troubled Tuthenn now was that if the container had come from the Narn Homeworld (and he knew it had not), it would likely have followed the normal trade route to Quadrant 14, which would mean that the container had passed through the Dross system. He read the container’s manifest stating that it had cleared a customs checkpoint on Dross, but the standard scan did not feature the unique energy signature he expected. This meant it was probably forged. The last item on the incoming record stated the container had been loaded onto a human-run free trader called the Gilded Lilly. Unfortunately, a quick scan of the ISA’s comprehensive ship records indicated no such vessel existed. That, in turn, led Tuthenn to believe the container he was attempting to track had been taken on board a smugglers’ ship.
Tuthenn revised his original analysis to indicate the Narn Regime was now the likely target, probably their Homeworld. However, he was keenly aware that Quadrant 14 was just one jump away from Babylon 5. He now considered the diplomatic station to be a possible target as well, for President Sheridan had served there for three years as its captain and military governor, and the station acted as the headquarters of the ISA for a year before the bureaucracy transferred to Tuzanor. To complicate matters, Babylon 5 was also a single jump away from Earth space and not much further away from the Minbari Federation. Infuriatingly, the Earth Alliance had yet to provide a full return of the sensor scans and sweeps he had asked for, limiting his ability to predict the next sequence of events.
With no other choice, Tuthenn filed his latest analysis, knowing that he was putting the ISA on the highest alert across light-years of space.
July 3rd 2263, White Star Intrepide, Hyperspace
‘Incoming signal from Tuzanor,’ reported the Minbari crewman on the communications station.
Sabine Badeau ordered it to be shown on the main display. She raised her eyebrows as the holographic display shimmered down from the ceiling of the bridge and the bearded image of President John Sheridan loomed in front of her.
‘Mr. President, what can we do for you?’
‘Miss Badeau, we have a potential situation.’ Sheridan’s calm demeanour belied what he was about to tell the
Intrepide
’s captain, but Sabine knew the President rarely spoke directly to Rangers in the field unless there was a serious problem.
‘We have reason to believe that a rogue faction within the Centauri Republic is planning a terrorist attack on one of the members of the ISA, likely the Narn, Minbari or Earth. Babylon 5 is also a potential target.’ In the background of the display, a Minbari aide whispered something to the President, and he nodded before continuing. ‘We are hoping to eliminate Babylon 5 as a possibility before you reach the station. If it is clear, I need you to divert from your current mission and proceed with all speed to Earth.’
‘Yes, Mr. President. What are our orders when we arrive?’
‘Your work on Coutar yielded an energy signature we’re now chasing across the galaxy. We’re attempting to track a device of Dilgar origin, possibly a bomb of some kind, but the bureaucracy I learned to loathe when I was in EarthForce has returned with a vengeance, and they are stalling with the sensor logs we need to confirm where this thing is going. We may have to let them do their own searching, but that could cost valuable time.
Sheridan paused for a moment, then continued. ‘Our best analysts indicate the device is targeted at the Narn, but we cannot dismiss Earth as a possibility, due to my links with the place. By the time you reach Earth, we’ll have your clearance to see President Luchenko. Liaise with her and help track this device, reporting to me with any new developments. With any luck, you’ll find this is a false alarm, but we could be dealing with a very powerful weapon and we can’t afford to take chances. I’m sending a file containing everything we know about the device. Any questions?’
‘What authority do we have in this matter, sir?’
‘Standard Ranger protocols only, Miss Badeau. You will be working under Earth’s jurisdiction and, ultimately, you will have to do what they say. However, I don’t want that device detonating in Earth space, you understand me?’
‘Yes, sir, I believe I do. Anything else?’
Sheridan sighed. ‘Just godspeed. And pray our intelligence is wrong. I don’t like where this is going.’
Agreed, Mr. President. White Star 31 out.’ The display automatically shimmered back into the ceiling. ‘Plot a new course for the Sol system, full speed.’
Shaw, standing just behind Badeau’s right shoulder at the weapons station, cleared his throat and asked, ‘Why divert now, Captain? Why not continue directly to Babylon 5?’
She turned in her seat to face him. ‘Speed. If we need to resume our original mission, the White Star is fast enough to get to Babylon 5 without losing the Ipsha ambassador too much time. If this thing is real, then every extra minute may count.’ She gave a half-smile. ‘If you have never seen a White Star at full speed, you are going to be surprised at just how quickly we can get to Earth from here.’
‘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.