Babylon 5 and its characters with the exception of Epsilon Squad were
created by J.Michael Straczynski and copyrights are held by Warner Bros
and TNT. The characters of Epsilon Squad, as well as the characters of
Rei Ayanami-Miranami and Danielle Asuka Langley are my own creation.
Please ask for my permission to use them in your own fics.
Neon Genesis Evangelion was created by Project Eva and copyrights are
held by Gainax in Japan and A.D. Vision in the U.S. Please let me know
if there are any othercopyright holders for either series I may have
missed, as I'm not out to make any sort of material gain; I'm merely
expressing my interest in both these series. In other words, please
don't sue me.
Author's Notes:
This story takes place during Season 5 of Babylon 5, after #99
"Phoenix Rising" and before #103 "Darkness Ascending."
To make this story work, I took the events in Evangelion and
plopped them into the Babylon 5 universe at the same time as they
actually occurred (2000-2015). The following events occurred in the B5
universe at the same time as in Eva: Episodes 1-24, followed by the
events of the Rebirth and End of Evangelion movies. This story
takes place in 2262. For purposes of this story, episodes 25 and 26
never happened.
Although the Warlock-class destroyer is mentioned in the Babylon 5
series, the description given in this fic is conjectural, since no
specifications or drawings of this class are known by the poor
storyteller to exist. If anyone discovers anything on this class of
ship, please let me know.
Previously on Babylon 5:
After discovering the Angels' return on planet M-235, the
Earthforce Special Operations frigate Perry was sent to Babylon 5 after
President Luchenko assumed control of the situation from Nerv and its
commander, Thirteen. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Jesa Marason, a Starfury
pilot, led his squad into battle with a group of Raiders attacking a
transport. Upon returning to the station he runs into Danielle Asuka
Langley who became hysterical and ranted about Impacts and Angels and
she was taken away by Security to Medlab 1. Meanwhile Garibaldi informs
Sheridan about some aspects of Earthforce's takeover of the Angel
situation, as well as the possibility of Seele resurfacing, Evangelion
Unit 01's restoration by Nerv, and the revelation that Thirteen is
Nerv's commander. The Perry has just arrived at Babylon 5 and they were
awaiting the arrival of the Griffin and the Missouri.
Well, enough of the preliminaries, let's get on with it!
Babylon 5: Angels
A Babylon 5 / Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover
by Mark Craig
Part 4 - Always With Angels
Cruising through the netherworld maelstrom of hyperspace, the
Earthforce Warlock-class destroyer Griffin majestically cut her way
through on her way to her destination: Babylon 5. Although technically
considered a destroyer according to Earth Alliance guidelines, the
Griffin's length rivaled that of a Nova-class heavy cruiser and
her width was 20% greater than an Omega-class ship. As the Omega class
was considered to be one of the best ship designs Earthforce had ever
conceived, the Griffin's overall appearance was based on it with some
other modifications. Two horn-like protrusions jetted out from either
side of the bow serving as additional weapons ports. Four similar but
larger protrusions were built into the larger aft section; two were
pulse cannon ports and two served as extended sensors. The larger aft
section enabled the addition of two more engines to provide the extra
power the ship and her crew of 349 required.
The Griffin's bridge was nearly identical to that of the Omega
class. Twelve officers and crew manned the various stations: weapons,
helm, sensors, navigation, environmental, all ensuring the ship which
made up the extent of everyone's world last a little longer. The only
decoration on the bridge was by the main aft doors. As the Griffin was
named after the mythological beast, a plaque of a white griffin in an
attacking dive hung next to the door against a black background.
Beneath was a smaller plaque with a stylized "G" painted on it,
provided the day it first left Earth Station Prime for its one-year
shakedown cruise. A shakedown cruise which the current situation had
cut short.
Too short, in my mind, thought Captain Susan Ivanova, sitting in
the center command chair, her fingers steepled as she gazed into the
maelstrom outside the Griffin's main view screen. So far the shakedown
had produced no major problems as of yet, and her crew was gaining more
experience on how this brand-new ship operated with each passing day,
but Ivanova still didn't think it enough. Maybe it was her Russian mind
set taking over. That's it, she realized. It has to be that ingrained
pessimism. After all, the Griffin was the first of a new class of
destroyer. She was a fine ship, and Ivanova could not find any fault
with any member of the ship's crew. She couldn't have asked for a finer
crew an all of Earthforce. Even the C&C people on Babylon 5 would be
hard-pressed to match the quality of the Griffin's crew.
Thinking of Babylon 5 always gave her pause now. She felt she had
seen almost everything in the four years she served as the station's
second-in-command, and she had felt everything a person could possibly
feel there as well: anger, fear, loneliness, despair, joy, love.
She chuckled to herself every time she heard someone mentioning
Something about love. Not so long ago, the concept of love was almost
foreign to her. Hell, her few attempts at starting relationships ended
in unmitigated disasters. She had come to the conclusion that she would
never feel true love, and she accepted that. Then she was posted to
Babylon 5, and all that began to change. For better or worse, it began
To change.
I think I loved Talia, she reflected. She confessed this to Delenn
in the Minbari Rebirth ceremony just after the station broke away from
Earth. Before she was posted to Babylon 5, and even for some time
afterward, the thought of having anything at all to do with a telepath
completely was completely ludicrous. She despised telepaths in general
and Psi Corps in particular after what happened to her mother. Yet in
the end, there she was, admitting her love for a telepath. Only Delenn
knew, of course; that was part of the ceremony. But what about Marcus?
The months since the end of the civil war gave Ivanova time to
recollect, to think, to wonder. Only when she awoke in Medlab to find
Marcus Cole slumped next to her dead from using the Alien Healing
Device to drain his own life force to save her did she realize how much
she meant to him, and she had given him nothing but grief in return
for everything he had ever done for her. She and Marcus were more alike
than she'd ever admit, even to herself. They had the same mannerisms,
the same wit, even the same worldview, and their personalities were so
similar they often clashed. Only in the end did she realize what true
love was.
She decided she had enough musing for the moment. There would be
time for that; there always was when the work was all said and done.
She glanced at the tall, dark-skinned form of Commander Claudia
LaSalle, her first officer, standing next to Ensign Carter at the
tactical console. Carter had just graduated from Earthforce Academy
this year and this was his first assignment. He seemed to have the
makings of a good officer, but he did lack certain instincts which
distinguishes a true field officer from a paper-pushing desk jockey in
EarthDome. Those instincts would come with experience, though, given
time. Except if what her orders said were true, the whole thing about
experience would be academic if their mission were to end in failure.
"Commander," she said, "what's the status of the Missouri?"
"She's still with us, Captain," LaSalle replied. "Captain Lind
reported no operational problems."
"How soon before we reach the jumpgate?"
"On our present course we will jump to normal space in twenty
minutes, eighteen seconds."
She looked at the starboard aft display next to the view screen
showing an image of the battleship Missouri, one of only three
Sovereign-class battleships ever built by Earthforce, and the only
surviving ship of its class. The other two, the Arizona and the Iowa
went down in the Battle of the Line. The Missouri was decommissioned
after the Earth-Minbari War but was later brought out of mothballs,
refitted with the latest weapons and sensor systems, and returned to
active service. She's still a fine ship even after all these years,
Ivanova thought to herself. It was said serving on the Missouri was one
of the highest honors an Earthforce member could ever hope to achieve,
even above the various service awards and the promotions. Stretching
more than twice the length of the Griffin's 425 meters, the Missouri
was the largest ship in Earthforce with a crew of over 1,200, including
pilots and deck crews for four Starfury squadrons and three Thunderbolt
squadrons. Commanded by the Ice Woman, Captain Emily Lind, the Missouri
stood proud as the flagship of the Earth Alliance.
Ivanova recalled her orders: meet the battleship Missouri and
travel to Babylon 5 to meet with the frigate Perry. Once there she
would meet the Perry's captain for a briefing concerning something
about the return of the Angels. The very thought of them returning
brought her to a state of near alarm. The Angels were responsible for
the Second Impact and they helped in causing the Third Impact. In her
studies of those events back in her Academy days she learned the Angels
were quite powerful; the only way to defeat them was to use the
Evangelion units. In this day and age, Ivanova had to assume they still
were.
Not only that, she couldn't really bring herself to trust Nerv
any more than the Angels. She almost regarded Nerv with the same trust
as she did Psi Corps. She had heard about all the experiments Nerv
performed to discover the secrets of the Angels and how to fight them,
and the fact they used children to pilot the Evangelion units
themselves. Still, most of Nerv's military personnel still wore
Earthforce blue; they were Earthforce Special Operations officers. The
Perry's captain, Commander Rei Ayanami-Miranami, was one such officer.
Ivanova looked up her service record after receiving her orders to see
who she was going to be dealing with. The interesting thing was she
entered Earthforce at Nerv's insistence. Why would Nerv use the
tremendous influence it commanded on behalf of this one individual?
What was she to them? Still, Rei's record gave Ivanova the impression
she would be dealing with a very intelligent and resourceful officer.
She was a private person, the record showed, living alone most of
her life after entering Earthforce Academy. She tended to keep her
distance from everyone around her, until she became the Perry's
captain. Ivanova suspected there was quite a bit more to Rei Ayanami-
Miranami than the service record showed.
"Concerns, Captain?" LaSalle asked.
Ivanova didn't realize her first officer had left Carter's station
until she saw her standing next to the command chair, a look of
curiosity on her face. She let out a small sigh. Evading the question
wouldn't work around LaSalle, she was far too intelligent to be fooled.
"Just one," Ivanova admitted. "Have you ever met Commander
Ayanami-Miranami?"
LaSalle shook her head. "No, I confess I haven't. Special Ops
people under Nerv don't usually mix with other Earthforce officers.
Something to do with security concerns, I heard. It must be serious if
Nerv's authorizing it now."
"Probably. Of all the surprises I could've received today, I was
certainly not expecting or welcoming the Angels returning."
"Agreed. And if the Angels are anything like what the Eva pilots
faced 250 years ago, this could mean a Fourth Impact, which wouldn't
confine itself to Earth if certain religious groups are to be
believed."
Ivanova grunted. "Fourth Impact. Scarcely bears thinking about.
Maybe we should all hold hands and sing 'Kumbaya' while we still can."
LaSalle merely shrugged.
"We've made many of the same mistakes now as we did before Third
Impact," Ivanova continued. "They say the Impact marked the beginning
of a new age in the evolution of mankind. So far, I've yet to see it."
"Maybe that's why the Angels are returning, Captain," LaSalle
mused.
"Possible."
"What about the uproar this is causing back home? I hear Nerv and
Earthforce are having a real knock-down drag out over Earthforce taking
charge of the Angel situation on President Luchenko's orders."
"Whatever for?" Ivanova wanted to know. "Nerv can't possibly think
they can handle the Angels alone this time. If they do, I'll add
delusional and stupid to the list of wonderful adjectives I routinely
use to describe them."
"I would point out Nerv has acquired most of the data on the
Angels the first time they appeared."
"That was over 200 years ago. That data is probably antiquated by
now. If we've supposedly evolved, shouldn't it stand to reason the
Angels have, too?"
"Perhaps, Captain," LaSalle admitted.
"And Nerv doesn't strike me as a very trustworthy group, either. I
can't really put my finger on it. There's something about them which
make me uneasy."
"I think I can say Nerv makes us all uneasy, Captain," LaSalle
replied. "There are just too many unknowns in dealing with them. In
that way they're no different than the Angels."
"'Who watches the watchmen?'" Ivanova quoted.
They are coming. They who are of the six by three are coming. You
must leave this place. Leave before they arrive. The one who is half is
already here.
Those thoughts came back to Danielle's mind as she lay on the
medlab bed. The last thought gave her pause, though. The one who is
half is already here. What the hell did that mean? Surely it couldn't
mean the Nerv clone's here on the station. Or could it? She had made it
a personal crusade to find out all she could about Nerv after the
incident at Proxima-3 which forced her to leave Earthforce. She had
learned about Nerv's attempts at cloning after Second Impact. They had
spliced human DNA with an Angel, namely Lillith. Three clones were
known to have been successfully created, all virtually identical, all
named Rei. After Nerv was reestablished in 2203, it hardly surprised
her that Nerv would attempt this form of cloning again. After all as
the old saying went: "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed
to one day repeat it." This time, though, Nerv extracted DNA from the
remains of the Rei/Lillith merge which was destroyed in the Third
Impact. As a result only one stable clone was created in 2226. The
others were either malformed, psychotic, or both.
Why would they use that? Danielle often wondered after finding
that little bit of information out earlier this year. Probably the same
rationale which motivated Seele to use dummy plugs ingrained with
Kaworu's personality in the mass-production Evas. Danielle had used her
ship's computer and over three dozen relay stations, including unwitting listening posts and jumpgates, located throughout the Earth
Alliance to obtain that and other information from Nerv from the most
logical source possible: Melchior, the last surviving Magi
supercomputer. The machine may have been over 200 years old, but it was
still more powerful than most computer systems used in Earthforce
today.
The six by three are coming.
Since Proxima-3, Danielle knew what Kaworu had meant by the phrase
"six by three." He obviously meant the Angels; between the Impacts a
total of eighteen Angels appeared. Six by three equaled eighteen; it
was flawlessly logical. So why didn't they believe me? Why don't they
believe me now? Can't they see what is plain as their own hands? Didn't
G'Qeth say our struggles would begin with Angels? Didn't he also say we
would pay for those struggles with our own blood, the blood on the
hands of the Angels? What must I do to convince them, G'Qeth? How can I
make them see what I see before the Angels destroy us all?
G'Qeth declined to respond, possibly being on a break. I do have
to get away, but first I must find the one who is half. Maybe she will
believe me. I must find her, as soon as possible. But did she know why
she had to find her? What was so important about the one who is half
which made it seem so urgent to see her? How did she know the one who
is half is female? Danielle didn't know; all she knew was that she had
to see her, and quickly. She knew she had to leave before they came.
The six by three are coming.
Wait a damn minute! Danielle's more rational side screamed at her.
What the hell are you thinking? You can't leave here. Not when you know
they're coming? You wanted to find the Angels and avenge what they did
to your ancestor 250 years ago. Even now the Angels are trying to
influence you; they have ever since Proxima-3, even more so now that
you found the Evangelion. Don't you see? They want you to leave
Babylon 5 because you can stop them.
But they don't believe me. They never believe me, the irrational
side protested.
Let them believe what they will. It's what you believe that
counts.
I'm afraid. Always with Angels will our struggles begin.
Don't be. I will be here. I have always been here.
Danielle rose out of the bed, her decision set. She would find the
one who is half. She had to find her, whoever she was. She glanced
quickly around to make sure neither Franklin nor any of his staff was
nearby. She found her clothes in a nearby locker along with her
backpack. Rushing to open it she found nothing was missing, even her
Book of G'Qeth. She dressed quickly and quietly snuck out of medlab.
She located a transport tube nearby and she stepped inside.
"Destination?" the computer queried.
"Red Five."
She got off on Red-5 and made her way into the Zocalo, which was
its usual bustle of activity. Humans, Drazi, Centauri, Narns and others
milled about buying and selling various goods. Carefully avoiding the
prying eyes of station security Danielle made her way to an unoccupied
terminal and activated it.
"Command?"
"Computer, list any Earthforce military ships which have arrived
on Babylon 5 in the last twenty-four hours."
"Security authorization required."
"Authorization Nerv-2-1-8-9-Alpha-8." I'm going to be throwing red
flags all over Security Central if this doesn't work.
A few moments passed, then the computer replied, "Authorization
confirmed. One Earthforce vessel has arrived within specified time parameters."
"Which vessel?"
"Earthforce Special Operations Frigate Perry. Commander Rei
Ayanami-Miranami commanding. Vessel arrived at 0835 Earth Standard
Time, July 30, 2262."
Rei Ayanami-Miranami, Danielle thought. She must be the one.
"Computer, is Commander Ayanami-Miranami on the station?"
"Affirmative."
"Specify location."
"Commander Ayanami-Miranami is located in the Blue-3 conference
room."
"Does she have assigned quarters on-station?"
"Affirmative. Blue-5, Suite 16."
She looked around and noticed two security officers lurking nearby
in the crowd. She closed down the terminal and slipped out into a Red
Sector corridor. Rei Ayanami-Miranami, I think it's time you and I had
a little chat.
In the four years since coming to Babylon 5, Lt. David Corwin had
just about seen everything from his post in Command and Control. He
stood watch over the starscape outside from the command console. Corwin
was one of those guys who treated even the most unusual situations as
commonplace as breathing. He found it easy to lose himself among those
glowing stars. Hard to believe all that's gone on here the last three
years. Two wars, breaking away from Earth, Sheridan going off to
Z'ha'dum, the campaign against Earth, and all the stresses associated
with all that. Yes, Babylon 5 had certainly changed over the years, and
he had changed along with it.
The jumpgate sequence activated, breaking his train of thought.
Two more Earthforce ships exited the gate and approached the station.
Corwin knew before the station's computer identified them they were the
Griffin and the Missouri. The Missouri was rather hard to miss; it
being the only full battleship in Earthforce. And with the
Griffin's approach, Corwin got his first look at a Warlock-class
destroyer. An impressive pair of ships, he thought. It would be more of
an honor than he thought he deserved to serve on either one of them.
"Lieutenant," one of the techs called from below him, "the
captains for both ships are on-line."
"I've got it," Corwin said, opening the link. "Griffin and
Missouri, this is Babylon Control. You're cleared for priority docking
in Bays 15 and 16."
"Confirmed, Babylon Control," came the crisp Captain Emily Lind of
the Missouri. Lind was a typical ship's captain, or so Corwin thought,
with that severe look most captains had developed over the course of
age and experience. Only her green eyes and auburn hair really betrayed
how young Captain Lind was. Hard nosed, high-strung, disciplined,
those were the traits of a typical Earthforce captain, and she
displayed it all perfectly.
"Roger that," Ivanova said. "It's good to be back, Lieutenant."
"Likewise, Captain," Corwin replied. He always had a great deal of
respect for Ivanova, who had been his superior officer for much of his
time here. Ivanova always had a unique insight on things not often
found in most people. He always found some humor in her dry little
asides regardless of the crisis of the moment. He got on the
internal link and contacted Captain Lochley to let her know they had
arrived.
"I see I've taught you well, Lieutenant," Ivanova observed. "I
take it Captain Lochley and President Sheridan know of our arrival."
"Yes, Captain."
"And Commander Ayanami-Miranami?"
"She will be awaiting you and Captain Lind in the conference room
on Blue-3."
"Very well, Lieutenant. Inform them we will be on-station
shortly."
"Yes, Captain, Babylon Control out."
Within moments, shuttles were launched from both ships and entered
The station's main docking bay. The automated docking control systems
flawlessly guided both shuttles to their respective bays.
"So this floating tin can was your old stomping ground, eh,
Captain?" LaSalle said in the cockpit of the lead shuttle.
"It was," Ivanova replied. "But it's a pretty big tin can."
"I'm not sure I could handle a posting on a front-line station
like this. Having to deal with races at each others' throats day in,
day out." LaSalle shook her head. "Not for me. All I ever wanted was a
tall ship so I can sail among the stars."
"I didn't know you were so poetic, Commander," Ivanova observed.
"I'm not. It's the simple truth. I'll take a ship posting over a
station desk job any time. There's a certain beauty in serving aboard a
ship."
"There is that," Ivanova admitted, gazing at the approaching bay.
"Still, as Mr. Garibaldi once said, it is a big tin can in outer
space."
The shuttles completed docking without incident. Both captains and
their execs made their way to the customs area, where Ivanova saw
Sheridan and Lochley waiting for them. Customs officers checked in all
four officers and they met up with Sheridan and Lochley.
"It's good to see you again, Captain Ivanova," Sheridan said.
Ivanova gave a slight smile. "It's good to see you too, John. This
is my executive officer, Commander Claudia LaSalle."
LaSalle nodded in acknowledgment as Ivanova turned her attention
to Lochley. "Captain Lochley, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I
can see Babylon 5 is in capable hands."
"Thank you, Captain. I only wish this were under better
circumstances."
Ivanova nodded. "Mr. President, Captain, I take you've met Captain
Emily Lind of the Missouri, and her exec, Commander Richard Reider."
"I told you I'd be back one day, Mr. President," Lind said,
shaking hands with both Sheridan and Lochley.
"Captain Lind," Sheridan acknowledged, "Commander Reider."
"Mr. President," Reider said.
"Well, we don't want to keep Commander Ayanami-Miranami waiting,"
Sheridan said at length. "She, Lt. Commander Akagi, Ambassador Delenn,
Mr. Allen, and Mr. Garibaldi are waiting for us in the Blue-3
conference room." With that, he led the others out of the customs area
down a Blue Sector corridor.
Jesa strode purposefully down the Green-2 main corridor towards
Ambassador G'Kar's quarters, a load of questions on his mind after
examining the data the station's computers provided him concerning
G'Qeth and his writings on Impacts and the Angels. Perhaps the Narn
ambassador could help him answer those questions, being as
knowledgeable with Narn history and historical figures as G'Kar was.
He reached the door outside G'Kar's quarters and tapped the door
tone. He waited a few seconds before he heard "Enter," from inside and
the door slid open. Jesa stepped into G'Kar's quarters, which resembled
surroundings he'd probably see if he ever went to the Narn homeworld.
G'Kar sat behind a stone table brought from Narn doing ambassadorial
paperwork. The room glowed a reddish color. To Jesa's right on
the table sat the copy of the Book of G'Quan, a Narn religious figure
about a thousand years ago in whom G'Kar believed in rather strongly.
G'Kar looked up at his visitor and nodded in recognition. "Ah, Lt.
Commander Marason," he said pleasantly. "What can I do for you?"
"Ambassador G'Kar," Jesa said slowly, "I don't mean to disturb
you. I was just wondering if you could provide me with some
information."
"Of course." G'Kar indicated a chair in front of the table.
"Please, sit."
"Thank you," Jesa replied and took the offered seat.
"Now, Lt. Commander, what is it you needed to know?"
"I was wondering if you've heard of a Narn philosopher named
G'Qeth."
G'Kar gave it some thought. "I know his time was about 150-200 of
your years ago. Relatively speaking he was a contemporary thinker. But
among my people G'Qeth was considered a radical. His followers are few,
and most are on Homeworld. He wrote about entities which existed before
the Vorlons and the Shadows, visiting other worlds, including your own.
I believe you called them Angels, did you not?"
Jesa nodded. "He was supposed to have predicted with frightening
Accuracy when the Angels would strike at Earth, as well as the Second
and Third Impacts. My question is, how could he have such insight into
a world your people would not encounter for almost 200 years?"
"That is still being debated to this day, Lt. Commander. No one
who has ever studied G'Qeth's writings has ever agreed completely on
what he was trying to say until we made contact with your world and saw
the truth of what he had seen. G'Qeth also considered himself a
prophet. He made predictions about our world concerning these
entities which were quite honestly too preposterous to believe, that
they would cause a cataclysm which would engulf the galaxy."
"Fourth Impact," Jesa said, "some radical groups in Earth Alliance
believe essentially the same thing, about the Angels returning to see
mankind has not evolved and the whole galaxy would be punished for it."
"Do you believe that, Lt. Commander?"
"To be honest, no. I don't. I'm not a very religious man, G'Kar. I
only believe in two things: my squad, and the Starfury I have in Cobra
Bay 4."
"Then I don't understand why you're asking me about G'Qeth."
"An Earth woman started ranting about Angels and Impacts a few
hours ago, and she mentioned G'Qeth's name. Security Chief Allen also
told me she was in possession of a Book of G'Qeth. I was trying to
figure out what was going on."
"Indeed." G'Kar said, intrigued.
"She was a Starfury pilot before the civil war, fighting on the
side of President Clark, then after Proxima-3 she was given a psych
discharge from Earthforce. She became a trader among the Non-Aligned
Worlds and later the IA. What I can't figure out is what she would be
doing with a Narn text."
"Perhaps it's the only thing she can find which contains the
answers she seeks. It is common for other races to study the writings
of our spiritual leaders and philosophers. We would never accept them
as true followers, of course, but they still can learn a great deal
from those words of long ago."
"At the time she sounded rather hysterical and crazed, but the
more I think about it, the more I worry. And we've got three Earthforce
ships, including one from Nerv, here on a mission concerning the
Angels. I have a bad feeling about this, Ambassador. A very bad
feeling."
"G'Quan once wrote 'anxiety leads to knowledge. Instinct is a
valuable tool to those who know how to use it.' Trust your instincts,
Lt. Commander Marason, and all will be well."
Jesa got up and headed for the door. "I always do. Thank you for
your time, Ambassador."
"Not at all, Lt. Commander," G'Kar said and Jesa left the room.
Garibaldi, Delenn, and Zack sat at the large table in the Blue-3
Conference room. He saw Commander Miranami standing at the head of the
room in silent conversation with Lt. Commander Akagi, awaiting the
arrival of Sheridan and the others. Garibaldi looked warily at the Nerv
emblems on the two officers at the head of the room. For the longest
time he felt Nerv was as trustworthy as Psi Corps. And given
the information he dug up about Nerv and its connection to Bureau 13,
he felt he trusted Nerv too much. Especially in light of what's been
going on with the rumored Nerv-Earthforce split back on Earth, the
restoration of Eva-01, and Seele prowling around again. This mess will
get out of control, Garibaldi thought. It'll get out of control and
we'll all be lucky to live through it.
The thought of the Evangelion units returning made Garibaldi even
More nervous. After briefing Sheridan on what he found, he persuaded
Zack to let him see Eva-02 himself. Zack agreed and they examined the
unit. From what Garibaldi could tell it did indeed appear to be
operational. The history of the Evas was well known to everyone who was
in Earthforce. These were the machines which saved Earth from the
Angels, machines which some have said were the same as the Angels they
fought, and which also were responsible for the Third Impact. And now
they're starting to appear again. What the hell does this mean?
Moments later Sheridan walked quickly in, followed by Lochley,
Ivanova, Lind, LaSalle, and Reider. Sheridan introduced Rei Ayanami-
Miranami and Mina Akagi to Ivanova and the others. It felt like the
Babylon 5 of old now that Ivanova was back on-station, Garibaldi
reflected. Once the introductions were completed, Sheridan indicated
everyone to sit.
When everyone was seated around the frosted glass table, Sheridan
said, "Commander Ayanami-Miranami, it's all yours."
"Thank you, Mr. President," Rei said as she pulled out a data
crystal and inserted it into the crystal port next to a wall monitor.
An image of an approaching planet appeared.
"This is the planet M-235, located in Sector 999," Rei began. "It
was first discovered by the Tycho deep-space probe in 2105, then it was
charted by the destroyer Damocles in 2257, under Captain Lochley's
command, I believe."
"It was part of a three-month stint where we did a preliminary
survey on Sectors 995 to 999," Lochley said by way of explanation.
"This was in preparation for a mission by an Explorer-class ship later
that year, when those sectors would be charted in greater detail. At
the time we didn't find anything particularly unusual about M-235, so
we moved on."
Rei nodded. "For the past several years, Nerv has charged us with
the task of determining where the Angels went after Third Impact. Our
mission led us to M-235 less than twenty-four hours ago. We picked up
some unusual energy readings from beneath the surface of a type we
could not identify. So I personally went down for a closer look when we
started picking up Angel signatures. I flew over a large crater and
discovered this."
The image changed to a tannish-black creature like nothing
Garibaldi had ever seen; a creature with impossibly thin arms and a
face uglier than any he had ever seen before lying on the surface of M-
235. A large orange hemispherical protrusion stuck out of its lower
abdomen and its legs were little more than nubs.
"What the hell is that?" Garibaldi asked.
"That," Rei replied, "is an Angel. More to the point, it is
Zuriel, listed in Nerv records as the 14th Angel, and our comparisons
on what we found based on those records confirm it. We picked up what
appeared to be two more Angels rising out of the surface but we weren't
able to identify them. We believe the Angels may be poising
themselves for another strike at Earth and, our resources believe, the
possibility of a Fourth Impact."
An uneasy murmur filled the room as Rei let that sink in. The
Third Impact was cataclysmic enough, up to 2/3 of Earth's population
were wiped out because of it, and here she was talking about a Fourth
Impact which may no longer confine itself to Earth, but spread outward
like ripples in a pond. She's just full of good news today, Garibaldi
mused. Maybe I should have taken that leave on Disneyplanet last year
after all.
"Which is why," Rei said after a moment, "we've come here to ask
or your help in defeating the Angels before they can leave M-235. The
Earthforce fleet is still rebuilding after last year's civil war, and
the Perry, the Griffin, and the Missouri are the only Earth ships
available. Everything else is scattered throughout known space. We
would never be able to assemble them together in time."
What exactly is she hiding? Garibaldi asked himself. Nerv doesn't
give you anything without an exorbitant price tag attached.
"But with help from the Interstellar Alliance, we may be able to
stop the Angels and avert the Fourth Impact."
Convincing argument. Maybe too convincing. "I don't like this,"
Garibaldi said suddenly.
"Problem, Mr. Garibaldi?" Rei asked, arching one eyebrow.
"Frankly, yes. Let's get right down to it, shall we? Nerv is the
most secret organization in EarthGov. Always has been. You always use
Special Ops whenever you need support from Earthforce. For security,
you say. Talk of the Angels has always been very hush-hush, even in the
prison that is Nerv headquarters. And now you're suddenly opening up,
coming to us for help saying you need us to beat these fraggin'
Angels back to wherever the hell they came from.
"And at the same time, you're asking us to trust Nerv, an
organization partially responsible for the Third Impact, with Seele and
the Human Complement Program being the other half of that particular
equation. And Nerv was under President Clark's control during the civil
war back home. On top of all that, Nerv swallowed up Bureau 13 members,
and inherited all those dark little secrets as well, and placed Bureau
13's leader as its commander. How do we know you're on the up-and-up,
Commander Miranami? How do we know this isn't some sort of elaborate
setup instigated by Nerv, Seele, or both in return for overthrowing
Clark?"
"Nerv does not operate that way," Akagi said hotly. "We never have
done Clark's bidding. Or anyone else's, for that matter."
"So you say," Garibaldi countered. "You are, of course, aware that
there are factions within EarthGov which still support Clark's regime.
And the head of Bureau 13 would love to take a shot at us, and this is
the perfect opportunity."
"Mr. Garibaldi, we are not Bureau 13 or Nightwatch," Akagi said
vehemently. "And I resent your implications otherwise. Whether you
believe it or not, the Angels are back. I've seen them, so has the
commander. Soon you all will, too."
"Commander Akagi, please," Rei said suddenly, raising a calming
hand. She glided towards Garibaldi, looking at him like he was some
curious new microbe to be studied. Those red eyes staring at him made
Garibaldi even more nervous. This woman can't be human.
"You don't trust us, do you, Mr. Garibaldi," Rei said. "I don't
blame you. Given recent events involving Earth and Babylon 5, were I in
your position I probably wouldn't trust us, either. I can't make any
one of you trust us or Nerv, so I won't even make the attempt. All I
can ask is you hear us out, because on my honor as an Earthforce
officer, what we're telling you is the full truth."
"Garibaldi has a point," Ivanova broke in. "How do we know Nerv is
not going to stab us in the back when they get us out in the middle of
nowhere?"
They won't," Rei said flatly. "For one thing they would have
nothing to gain by it. They are upset with Earth Alliance for taking
over the Angel situation, and the repercussions of the whole mess will
take some time to reconcile, if it can be done at all. As it stands
now, the Angels are an Earthforce matter. I am here on the direct
orders of President Luchenko to request your assistance in dealing with
the Angels."
After a moment's thought, Sheridan said at length, "I see no
reason to doubt the commander's word on this matter."
"Neither do I," Delenn agreed. "I know what happened with the
Angels before and we need to stop them before they can cause any more
harm."
"I agree," Lochley said.
"So do I," Lind added.
"Commander Reider?" Sheridan said.
"With all due respect, I have no love for Nerv. I have never been
able to trust the organization partially responsible for the Third
Impact, and I never will trust them, either. But that is neither here
nor there. Commander Ayanami-Miranami is an Earthforce officer, as is
Commander Akagi. They wear Earthforce blue. The civil war with Earth is
over. Earth is part of the Interstellar Alliance, and it needs their
help."
"I agree," LaSalle added.
Sheridan nodded in satisfaction. "Mr. Garibaldi, you do have a
valid point, but Commander Miranami deserves to be heard, and I see no
reason why we shouldn't help them. Please continue, Commander."
"Thank you, Mr. President. Once this meeting is concluded I'm
going to upload all the data we have on the Angels which threatened
Earth from 2000 to 2015 into Babylon 5's computers. They will be able
to instantly recognize any of the Angels we may encounter. There are
seventeen known Angels we encountered in that time. Let me give you a
rundown on what exactly you may be dealing with, how they operate,
and what their capabilities are."
When Jesa returned to his quarters, he was more than a bit
surprised to see Lt. Rico Vazquez and Lt. Laura D'Amico lounging about
on his couch. Wait a minute. This isn't poker night, is it? No, it
can't be. I've got to change my lock code more often.
"We hope you don't mind, Jesa," Laura said in her semi-apologetic
voice. "We just let ourselves in."
"We missed you at Earharts'," Rico added, "so we wanted to see
what was up."
"Oh," Jesa said, getting out a cold soda and taking a swig. "Was
that last night?" He shook his head. "Sorry, I was distracted with
something else and completely forgot."
"The crazy woman?" Rico inquired.
Jesa choked on his drink, clearly taken aback. "How did you know?"
"Come on, Jesa," Laura replied. "Don't play dumb with us, you with
the BaBearLon 5 Teddy Bear. Your encounter with her is the talk of the
whole squad. And what's all this we keep hearing about Angels and
Impacts?"
"I'm not completely sure myself," Jesa admitted. "The woman seemed
to be just ranting on about the Angels, Impacts, and G'Qeth. At the
time it didn't make sense, but I had the computer run a search on those
words. You remember in Earth history what happened with the Angels and
the Second and Third Impacts, don't you?"
"Not really," Rico said. "I wasn't really much into history. I was
too busy chasing these three girls in history class, all at the same
time."
"Rico, you should've studied more," Laura chided. "Second Impact
happened over Antarctica when the first Angel exploded back in 2000.
Third Impact occurred in 2015 after Eva Unit 01 stabbed itself with the
longinus spear and combined with Units 05 through 13."
"I see," Rico said. "But who or what the hell is G'Qeth? What's he
got to do with this?"
"He was a Narn philosopher who lived during the time of the
Impacts," Jesa replied. "He was somehow able to predict the Second and
Third Impacts even though at that time we wouldn't make first contact
with the Narns for over 200 years. He even wrote about these entities
which have wandered the stars since before even the Vorlons, the
Shadows, or even the First Ones, entities which were supposed to
resemble the Angels."
"But weren't the Angels 98% human?" Laura asked.
"So some of the surviving Nerv records say," Jesa agreed. "But
nowadays, nobody knows for certain any more."
"Getting back to the subject at hand," Laura said. "I managed to
get her name. That is, if you're interested, Jesa."
"Do I want to know how?" Jesa asked, giving her a suspicious look.
"Jesa Marason, you should know I'm not that way," Laura said in
indignation, then softened up a bit. "But I confess I used my not
inconsiderable charms on an innocent, young security officer."
Rico shook his head. "And she yells at me for playing the field."
Laura cuffed him on the shoulder and turned her attention back to
Jesa, now sitting at his breakfast bar with his usual soda. "Anyway,
her name is Danielle Asuka Langley."
"I remember now," Jesa said. "Captain Lochley mentioned Danielle
when I first met her. She was one of the best 'Fury drivers in
Earthforce before Proxima-3. Danielle had claimed she saw images out
there during the battle, but to this day, nobody knows what happened to
her out there."
"There was something else," Laura added. "Apparently Danielle was
chasing a red-and-gold Starfury when she went nuts. And who around here
has a red-and-gold Starfury?"
Jesa gave it some thought. "Hmmm. I remember during the battle
there was someone chasing me around ships and other fighters, or at
least trying to. I couldn't shake whoever that was, they were pesky and
very skilled. I finally lost him when the dying White Star rammed the
Pollux. And now you tell me this crazy woman was the pilot I faced at
Proxima. It's a small universe after all."
End Part 4
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