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 other copyright 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 this was intended as a B5/Eva cross, Part 9
has some elements from Sailor Moon (characters created by Naoko
Takekuchi and not me) as well. I didn't plan for it, it just happened!
Previously on Babylon 5:
The Earthforce frigate Perry commanded by Rei Ayanami-Miranami
discovers the Angels have returned on a planet known as M-235.
Afterward they travel to Babylon 5 to request assistance from the
Interstellar Alliance in dealing with the situation. Rei is also
confronted by Danielle Asuka Langley who tells her everything about
Rei's origins was concocted by Nerv. Then the 15th Angel appears out of
the local jumpgate and Starfuries are launched. Lt. Commander Jesa
Marason is psychologically attacked by the 15th Angel and it drives him
into a suicidal rage which is only stopped by two other fighters
physically pulling him away from the Angel. Danielle, piloting Eva-02,
then deals with the 15th Angel with the longinus spear which shatters
afterward. Also, the 11th Angel infects Babylon 5's computers and only
through the use of a program downloaded from Nerv called 'Akagi 3:16'
is it dealt with. After the battle Jesa is taken to Medlab after
collapsing on the deck. Meanwhile, Nerv commander Thirteen receives a
status report on the restoration of Eva-01 and the Crimson Angel
Thunderbolts. Also, the 12 members of Seele discuss the situation and
we discover it is they who reconstructed the 11th Angel and put it on
the Nerv data crystals Commander Miranami used to provide Babylon 5
with the data on the Angels. They also discuss the futility of the
Human Complement Program and discuss the Second Complement Program.
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 9 - Introjection
The Interstellar Alliance council chamber was a madhouse by 0930
the next day. Sheridan stood at the head of the chamber behind a
semicircular table flanked by Londo, Delenn, and G'Kar. Ambassadors
from the former League of Non-Aligned Worlds all shouted their outrages
over the whole Angel mess, each trying to outdo the rest, and making it
impossible for any one voice to be heard in this sea of gibberish. Rei
Ayanami-Miranami was standing near one of the doorways leading out with
Ivanova and Lind observing the goings-on. Rei briefed all the alien
ambassadors at the request of President Sheridan on the Angels just a
few minutes ago, and the council chamber swam in a sea of chaos since.
Sheridan had enough of this after a few moments and insistently
banged a gavel on the table several times. "All right, all right, let's
all settle down," he shouted over the din. Several more bangs of the
gavel later the ambassadors finally took the hint and made their way to
their seats.
"Now, look," Sheridan said to them once they were seated. "This
constant bickering and infighting is going to get us nowhere. Now I
promise I'll hear everyone out who wants to be heard, but only one at a
time, starting with the Drazi ambassador."
The gray-scaled Drazi ambassador nodded and rose from his seat. He
made his way back down so he could face the entire council, standing
between the assembly of diplomats, and Sheridan and the representatives
from the major powers. The Drazi were well-known as one of the more
militant races in the Interstellar Alliance. Their propensity to use
force to solve their problems was second only to the Centauri and the
Narns. Ambassador Kartiel was also known as one of the most vocal and
oratory delegates on-station. Sheridan had known him for some time as
he was the Drazi ambassador when Sheridan gained command of Babylon 5
in 2259. He addressed the entire council and began to speak.
"Mr. President, fellow council members, the very nature of the
problem is those beings the Earthers call the Angels. The attack we all
witnessed yesterday proves what sort of threat they truly are. Mr.
President, they must be stopped at any cost before they can threaten
all of us further."
More outraged shouts at that, resulting in Sheridan banging the
gavel again, then Abbai Ambassador Ka'llina rose from her place. "The
Angels are a human problem, Mr. Ambassador. They are for the humans
alone to deal with and are not our concern."
"I beg to differ, Ambassador Ka'llina," Brakiri Ambassador Choate
broke in. "Legends among my people spoke of such entities roaming the
universe for uncounted millennia."
"It is the same with Drazi, I can assure you" Kartiel added.
"Do you honestly believe that?" Ka'llina retorted. "It was the
humans' own short-sightedness which caused the Impacts and brought the
Angels to Earth, nothing more. So if the Angels are in fact returning,
would it not stand to reason the most likely targets would be the
humans?"
"But who is to say they will stop only with the destruction of the
Earthers?" Kartiel replied. "The Angels want a Fourth Impact, Madame
Ambassador. They want a Fourth Impact which could mean the end of us
all. Commander Ayanami-Miranami was right. We have to stop them now,
while they are still organizing on M-235."
"She is a Nerv officer," interjected Kwala-Do, the Hyach
ambassador. "From what I have seem of them, I for one am hard-pressed
to believe anything of what they have to say. Nerv says what is
convenient for them at the moment."
"With all due respect to my esteemed Hyach colleague," Kartiel
responded, "we have witnessed first-hand what the Angels can do.
Commander Marason will attest to that, I am certain. It is not a Nerv
fantasy. Mr. President, I move we organize a strike force to eliminate
the Angels before they can pose any more of a threat."
"Ambassador, you cannot be serious," Ka'llina objected. Other
voices spoke out simultaneously in protest of one ambassador's or the
other's suggestions, forcing Sheridan to bang the gavel several more
times.
"Order! Order!" he shouted, repeatedly banging the gavel until the
assembly quieted again. "There will be no further outbursts from the
floor."
"Mr. President," said a new voice from the back. "May I speak?"
Sheridan looked over the assembly and noticed the ambassador from
Crystal Tokyo, the newest member of the Interstellar Alliance, standing
from her place at the very back of the council chamber. She sported a
long flowing green dress which more than accented her beauty. Her brown
hair was wrapped up in an attractive ponytail. Standing next to her was
a green-suited man with one hand on a sheathed sword he always carried
with him. Also an orange and white cat sat perched on the desk in front
of them, gazing intently at Sheridan. When she first arrived on Babylon
5 after Crystal Tokyo was accepted into the Alliance early this year,
she insisted that everyone call her by her Earth name: Makoto Kino-
Adams. On her homeworld, however, she was also known as Princess
Jupiter, one of the Moon Kingdom Princesses in Neo-Queen Serenity's
court. Sheridan recognized the green-suited man as her husband and
Guardian Senshi Shane Adams, also known as Halo, or by his given name,
Luminous.
"By all means, Ambassador Kino-Adams," Sheridan said. "The floor
is yours."
"Thank you, Mr. President." She stepped lightly to the floor
placing herself directly between the Abbai and Drazi ambassadors. She
looked from one end of the table to the other, gazing at Londo, Delenn,
Sheridan, and G'Kar. She then turned to face the assembly as regal as
the princess she was or even a queen. All eyes in the chamber riveted
on her when she spoke.
"I understand your hesitation, Ambassador Ka'llina of the Abbai,"
she began. "You feel this to be a human problem. Let Earth deal with
it. And I understand your advocation of action, Ambassador Kartiel of
the Drazi. In the fullest of essence you are both right, and both
wrong. You are right in your beliefs concerning the Angels, but
your reasons for those beliefs are clearly wrong.
"For hundreds of thousands of years, the Moon Kingdoms have fought
and fell against the Kingdoms of Dark in the Sailor Wars. We have also
fought against the Shadows in a time long before the Great War, before
the fall of the Silver Millennium."
"We know all this already, Ambassador Kino," Kwala-Do interrupted.
"I suggest you make your point if you are going to do so."
Makoto archly chose to ignore the Hyach ambassador's remark. "But
during that time, one of our ships visited M-235, and was never heard
from again. Six months later we sent another ship to investigate, and
it too disappeared. We found what was left of them some months later
floating in the border of our space. One ship was split in two.
The other had veinous growths along its length as it looked like it was
infected with something. As we recovered the remains of ships and crews
we saw two forms in the distance. One a double-helix golden ring, the
other a tan humanoid-like being with a large red globe at its center
and molecular-thin arms.
"At the time we had no name for them, but we now know them as
Angels. Plus we all witnessed what happened here yesterday. They must
be stopped before Earth or anywhere else can be threatened again. We
must stop them now while we still can. Mr. President, the Drazi
ambassador has brought a motion before the full council concerning
possible actions against the Angels. I hereby second that motion.
Please call the vote."
Sheridan nodded and turned his attention to Londo. "All right, a
motion has been brought and seconded. Ambassador Mollari?"
"What we witnessed yesterday was little more than a coincidence,"
Londo began, "an isolated incident, if you will. If we were to take any
actions against these Angels we may find ourselves at the very center
of the Fourth Impact you so desperately wish to avoid. The Shadow War
is over, my friends, and the Angels are one sleeping giant we must
never, never awaken. The Centauri Republic votes no."
Sheridan nodded. "Ambassador Delenn?"
"All the arguments I have heard today are completely valid,"
Delenn said. "Valen said we must focus on what we see. Yes, the Shadows
were defeated. Yes, the Angels appear to be a problem for the humans
alone, but I am forced to agree with the Drazi and Crystal Tokyo
ambassadors. We've seen what the Angels are capable of. Recall the
devastation of Second Impact and the even greater destruction of Third
Impact as examples of the Angels' capabilities. You all have concerns,
worries, even fears of what may happen. Before this meeting I spoke
with the full Grey Council, and they and I are in agreement. If we do
not act to stop the Angels, a Fourth Impact will come. Maybe not this
year, maybe not five years from now, a hundred years from now, or even
a thousand years from now. But it will happen. Defeating the Angels was
the key to the evolution to humanity 250 years ago. Now defeating them
is the key to the evolution of all our peoples in the universe.
Therefore, the Minbari Federation votes yes."
Sheridan nodded and turned to G'Kar. "Ambassador G'Kar?"
G'Kar stood and faced the assembly. "Around three hundred Earth
years ago, the Narn philosopher G'Qeth wrote about similar entities
roaming the universe. These entities were supposed to be older than
even the Vorlons or the Shadows. He claimed to have foreseen the Second
and Third Impacts on Earth, but to this day that is the subject of much
debate on my world. When the Ka'Ri received word of the events
yesterday, they issued this statement. The Angels represent the
greatest threat to our freedom since the Centauri. Our people have
fought too hard and too long to retake what was ours only to lose it
due to the actions of mystical entities. We must stop the Angels at any
costs and two Narn destroyers are en route to Babylon 5 to render any
assistance possible to defeat them. Therefore, the Narn Regime votes
yes."
Sheridan faced the assembly. "Since Captain Lochley was unable to
Attend today's proceedings, she has authorized me to vote on behalf of
the Earth Alliance on this matter according to the Declaration of
Principles. We received word from EarthDome a few hours ago. The Earth
Alliance votes yes."
More shouting and protests raged from the assembly, and Sheridan
banged on the gavel once more. "The council's decision is made. We will
assemble a strike force and travel to M-235 to face down the Angels.
I'll need any ships your peoples can spare, especially Minbari,
Centauri, Drazi, and Brakiri. This meeting is adjourned." And Sheridan
closed the meeting with one more bang.
As the assembly broke up Rei, Ivanova, and Lind gathered around
Sheridan and Delenn. Sheridan took a deep breath. "Well, we're in it
all the way now."
"It is necessary, Mr. President," Rei said. "The Perry and all her
resources are yours."
"I agree," Ivanova added. "We can't just sit back and let the
Angels run rampant in the universe. We have to stop them now."
"Yes," Lind concurred. "Mr. President, my ship and her resources
are also yours to command."
"Same with the Griffin," Ivanova said.
Sheridan nodded. "Thank you all. Delenn, how many White Stars can
we procure for this mission?"
"We can spare twenty," she replied.
"How soon?"
"They'll be here in three days."
"All right, everyone," Sheridan said after a moment. "We depart
for M-235 in five days. I want to give our members every opportunity to
bring us the ships we need, but we can't let the Angels alone for much
longer than that."
"Agreed," Delenn said.
"What's the status of Eva Unit 02?" Sheridan asked.
"Unit 02 is undamaged," Rei said. "Unfortunately we no longer have
a pilot. Apparently Danielle Asuka Langley lost her ability to pilot it
after defeating the 15th Angel."
"Find me a pilot," Sheridan said. "I don't care how you do it,
Commander. Based on what happened we need Unit 02 to have a chance."
"You'll have one," Rei replied.
Just then the orange and white cat jumped on the table, still
gazing at Sheridan. Then Makoto and Shane appeared among them. She
nodded to the Earthforce officers in acknowledgment as she spoke to
Sheridan.
"Mr. President, since your people helped save our world and seal
away the Neo-Dark Kingdoms, we have owed you a great debt. As repayment
for what your people have done for us, three of our largest, most
advanced cruisers are en route to Babylon 5 to assist in defeating the
Angels. They are under the command of Neo-King Endymion."
"Ambassador, you don't have to do this," Sheridan started to
object.
"It is already done," she replied, her tone precluding any doubt.
"They will arrive in approximately twenty hours. Mr. President, Crystal
Tokyo is a full member of the Interstellar Alliance, and Neo-Queen
Serenity does not take our inclusion lightly. As such we intend to
fulfill our obligation. These are the finest ships in our fleet, and we
would be honored to fight at your side."
"Thank you, Ambassador," Sheridan said sincerely. "And I'll be
sure to thank Neo-Queen Serenity personally when this is over." He
turned to Delenn. "Contact the others and inform them to gather all
their available ships to Babylon 5 within three days. We'll meet in
four days to discuss our strategy, and in five we go to war."
"Consider it done," Delenn said. And with that, the small group
parted and left the council chamber.
Later that evening Jesa sat at the table surrounded by Phil, Will,
John, Del, and Jaclyn, five people who started the evening wanting so
desperately to part Jesa with his money, but they have been largely
unsuccessful. Well, it's time to go for the throats for this last hand,
he thought. He picked up the deck of cards on the table and shuffled
them three times. Each pilot had two or three beer bottles in front of
them except for Jesa who had his usual cans of soda.
"Okay, everyone," he said as he started dealing, "we're going to
play a little five-card draw, nothing wild, and jacks or better to
open."
When he finished dealing everyone anted two credits to the pot.
Jesa picked his cards up and saw he was off to another good start with
three sevens in hand. He put five credits on the table. "I'll open with five."
"Phil matched it and added more, "I'll see your five, gringo, and
I raise another five."
"I'm in," Will said, calling the bet.
"So am I," John replied, "and I'll raise you ten."
Both Del and Jaclyn called, as did Jesa, Phil, and Will. Jesa
picked up the deck again. "Okay, John, how many do you want?"
"Three," he said.
"I'll take two," said Jaclyn.
"Okay, Phil, how many?" Jesa asked.
"Four."
"Oh how intimidating, a one of a kind," Jesa quipped as he dealt
Phil four cards. "Will?"
"Two."
"Dealer takes two," Jesa said, drawing two cards to his own hand.
He reexamined his hand and smiled inwardly. "I'll open it with ten this
time," Jesa said.
"Oh, the man's getting bolder," Phil said. "Okay, I'm in, and I'll
raise you ten."
Will looked at his cards and tossed them face down on the table.
"Too much for me."
John shook his head. "Me, too. I'm out."
"I'll see your ten," Del said.
"I'm in," Jaclyn said. "And I raise you five, Jesa."
"Call," Jesa answered.
"I'll see that and raise fifteen," Phil said rather rashly.
He's at the table limit. What the hell does he have? Jesa asked
himself.
"Ouch! Too rich for me," Del said, tossing down his cards.
"I'm in," Jaclyn said.
"So am I," Jesa added. "Show 'em, Phil."
Phil proudly spread his cards over the table face up. "Jacks over
fives," he said.
Jaclyn showed her hand. "Five lonely hearts," she said.
Jesa looked at his hand and said in resignation. "Well, I guess
you have me beat. I've only got two small pair." He pulled two cards
down. "Sevens," two more cards on the table, "and sevens."
Jaclyn and Phil groaned in disgust as Jesa collected his winnings
yet again. "Uh, Phil, weren't you saying something yesterday about
making the gringo commander eat his words?"
"I get your point, Jesa," Phil said, looking down at the empty
space where he had nearly 500 credits three hours ago when the squad's
traditional poker session began. More than half his losses tonight went
to Jesa. "I'm done. Thanks for the game, man. I'll be back next week to
take my money back."
"Dream on, Phil," Jesa replied as Phil and the others got up and
started to leave. "See you guys next week?"
"We'll be here," Jaclyn said.
"'Night, Jesa," both Jansens and Del said.
After they left, Jesa cleared the table off and tossed the trash
into the disposal unit. He extracted one of his X-Files vids and put
the crystal into the wall monitor. Taking a bowl of popcorn off the
table and grabbing another soda out of the refrigerator, he sat down to
watch his favorite TV show.
Twenty minutes later his door chime sounded. Groaning in annoyance
he picked himself off the couch, breathing a silent curse. "Computer,
mark this point and stop playback."
"Confirmed."
The door chime sounded again. "Okay, okay. Open."
He saw Danielle standing outside once the door swung open. "I hope
I'm not disturbing you, Jesa," she said.
He shook his head quickly. "No, not at all. Just watching vids.
Please come in."
She smiled and accepted the invitation. "Thank you," she said and
sat on the couch. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"As well as I can expect. I had a horrid nightmare last night,
though. I dreamed I was in an Eva facing all the Angels at once. All
seventeen of them. But winning 620 credits in poker tonight is enough
to lighten my mood."
"Good. So that's what was going on here earlier, I had come by but
everyone else was in here, so I left. I didn't want to disturb you."
"Phil would've probably wished you had."
She chuckled. "I take it you heard. Sheridan's going in to deal
with the Angels."
Jesa nodded. "Yeah, I heard. Our orders came in this afternoon.
Epsilon, Alpha, and Delta Wings are going on the mission. We leave in
five days. Tau and Zeta squads will stay behind to defend the station
against a possible attack while we're away. I've also heard Sheridan
and Commander Miranami's looking for another pilot for Eva Unit 02."
Danielle sighed. "That's true. We're going to need the Eva to have
a chance to defeat the Angels. Your ships can penetrate their AT
Fields, but it's still going to take a considerable amount of firepower
to do so. Unfortunately there is no one in the entire Interstellar
Alliance who can pilot it."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Jesa said, looking into her
eyes. "I'll do it."
She vigorously shook her head. "Absolutely not! Jesa, it takes a
special kind of pilot to be able to control an Eva."
"Perhaps, but I still want to try."
"Jesa," Danielle said adamantly, "think about this a minute. You
have absolutely no idea what you'll be dealing with in the Eva. If you
can't synch with it in a few seconds it may fight you, and possibly go
berserk. If that happens, the feedback alone will be enough to kill
you."
"And if I don't there's a good chance none of us are going to come
back alive," Jesa said. "I won't lie to you. I've heard about what
these things did to their pilots. And the Angels are mean mothers. I'm
not looking forward to tangling with them again. But I feel I have to, in order to save all of us."
Danielle shook her head again. "No, no, no, no. Jesa, you are not
going to pilot the Eva."
"Even if I don't, I'll still be out there with my squad. So
whether I'm in a Starfury or the Evangelion, I'm going to M-235. And
given recent events, I feel I can do the most good in the Eva."
"But why?" she demanded, "Only people born under very specific
circumstances can pilot an Eva. It is unlike any other combat machine
ever created. At least in a Starfury you are in your element, but the
Eva is completely different."
"I know all that. I know you have to be a descendent of one of the
original Children in order to pilot one. But I still feel I must do
this."
"That's not an answer, Jesa Marason!" she burst out, tears welling
up in her eyes. "Why must it be you that pilots the Eva? Do you feel
like you have to again prove yourself after what that Angel did?"
"That's not it at all," he retorted. "I feel I must to help to
save the lives of billions back home and elsewhere. This universe may
not be much, but it's all we've got. If I have to die to help save
those billions, it's really a small price to pay. As a pilot
yourself, you of all people should know that. We have to push it out
there. That's our job. I have to do what is right for all of us. I have
to pilot the Eva, Danielle."
She still shook her head. "No, Jesa, no. There has to be a better
way. I can't afford to lose you now that I've found you."
"The Angels put me, no, put us through hell, a hell I'll have to
carry the rest of my life and hope I can live with myself. And I don't
want anyone else to have to go through what I did." He placed his hands
on her shoulders. "I know what I have to do, Danielle, and I need your
help. You know more about this Eva than anyone, including Nerv. Will you help me?"
Slowly Danielle looked up at him with a look of understanding in
her eyes. She knew he was right, he may be the only one who could pilot
the Eva. Maybe he was the one Asuka was talking about? But why him?
Could he too be a descendent of one of the Children like she was?
She knew she was being irrational by her not wanting him to pilot
Eva-02. She knew too well the nature of that particular beast. She knew
Jesa would risk everything in an attempt to pilot the Eva. If the truth
be told, she didn't want him to go to M-235 at all, not when she had
just found someone she could care for, and live for. She didn't really
understand why she was so adamant about not wanting him to go,
unless...
Do you love him? she asked herself.
Was that what all this was about? True, her heart had gone out to
him after the Angel attack, but had it become something more personal,
more intimate? Did she really love him? It is possible, she supposed.
She really didn't know too much about love, not like that anyway. The
only couple of times she tried to get involved in any sort of
relationship had ended in unmitigated disasters. She had a knack for
attracting the most callous of men. Not only that, here was a man until
some twenty-four hours ago she had resented for just being who he was.
Still, she still couldn't help but feel protective of him, she would
feel even more lost than ever before if he weren't there to be with
her. She realized that now as well. She wanted him to be with her. She
needed him to be with her.
But she also knew Jesa was right. Someone had to pilot the Eva,
and he was the best in Earthforce, so he would've been the logical
choice in any case. She knew what had to be done, as much as it broke
her heart to admit it to herself. He would pilot the Eva, and she would
have to help him.
"Okay, Jesa," she said finally, "I'll help you. On one condition."
"What's that?" he asked.
"Promise me you'll come back."
He could see the pleading in her eyes now, she suspected. And he
smiled and nodded. "I promise, Danielle, I'll come back."
Her heart lightened on hearing him say that. Acting on impulse
alone she brought her hands to his face and delivered what could only
be described as a high-voltage kiss. Within seconds she broke it and
started for the door. "Thanks, Jesa," she said cheerfully. "I'll tell
Wonder Girl myself. See you, Jesa." And she practically sprang out the
door.
After she left, Jesa stared at the door with a dumbfounded look on
his face, pressing a couple of fingers to his lips, wondering if he
somehow imagined what just happened. Nope, he wasn't imagining
anything. After telling her he'd come back, she just up and kissed him
full on the mouth. He felt like his whole body had just been jump-
started and he went back into the kitchen for another soda, feeling as
charged as a live electrical wire. Woah! he thought. What have I gotten
myself into here?
End Part 9
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