From: "Stephen J. Barringer" Subject: WANDERING STAR -- 42/?? Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 23:04:49 -0400 Sometimes I wish I had *less* of a life.... sigh. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..... Thanks to David Goldingay for helping me hammer this section out. *****************DISCLAIMER***************** Susan Ivanova and all BABYLON 5 characters and situations are the creations and copyrighted property of J. Michael Straczynski and Babylonian Productions, and are used here without permission strictly for the purposes of non-profit entertainment. Other characters and situations are copyright of the author, but permission is hereby granted for free, non-profit use by other fanfic authors. (Though it would be nice if you asked anyway.) ************************************************** < < W A N D E R I N G S T A R > > PART II: SCAVENGER HUNT - 37 - CAPTAIN'S BRIEFING OFFICE 01:20 EST "Stop it?" Braun stared at Commander DeClercq in disbelief. "I'm not even sure I know what's actually *happening* down there, let alone how to slow or stop the reaction." "I got some ideas, though," volunteered Snow. Braun wheeled to glare at her, but she simply gazed back, unabashed. "My guess is it's some kinda quantum-level analogue to a normal solid-to-liquid transition state. Either the weak or the strong nuclear force's gotten destabilized, and it's propagating through some kinda particle exchange at the gluon or quark level. Maybe the spin or the up on the quarks are getting futzed around." "Preposterous," said Braun. "How would such a reaction start?" "Well – " Tiffany rubbed her nose thoughtfully. "The main cannon of the *Saint-Germain* fire plasma that's been heated to stellar fusion temperatures. Combine that kinda temperature and density with whatever the Vorlon cannon had going on...." She shrugged. "Maybe it was part of the disintegration effect that high-power Vorlon weapons have been observed producing. The *Saint-Germain*'s cannon shot probably destroyed whatever mechanism they had in place to limit that reaction. It was probably only minuscule at first, but now it's growing in an exponential process. Planetkiller mechanics all over again." "Which is what I'm counting on." DeClercq just managed to conceal his start as Ivanova took her seat beside him. Freshly sonic-scrubbed down and clad in a new uniform, she looked worlds better – if one didn't consider the lines around her eyes. "Chain reactions, if they haven't gone far enough, can be disrupted. If any of your theories are correct, Lieutenant Snow, how would we go about disrupting this one? Dr. Braun, I want your input as well – and *don't* tell me it can't be done, I already know that. We're going to do it anyway." DeClercq snuck a sidelong glance at her, but Ivanova wasn't wearing so much as a hint of a smile. Braun rested his chin on his hands, scowling. "The best way to disrupt any chain reaction is to alter the proportions of mass and energy involved," he said slowly. "Or change the environment in which the reaction is happening. An asteroid dropped squarely atop the reaction site might do it...." Tiffany snorted. "Okay, Ulrich, you know where we can get an asteroid in the next ten minutes?" "Actually – " DeClercq didn't know which he hated more: the idea he'd just had, or the fact that *he'd* had it – but if it held a possibility of saving the planet below, it had to be considered. "We *do* have an asteroid-level mass handy. The Drazi ship." Snow's jaw fell open; Braun's eyebrows lifted. DeClercq held up his hand. "I'm *not* suggesting *that*. We transfer all the crew here first and then drop the ship straight into the gravity well." "Unacceptable." Ivanova shook her head. "Even if it worked, that kind of mass impact could kick up enough dirt to catastrophically affect the ecosystem." Braun scowled. "Captain, if it's a choice between an ice age and a nuclear dissolution, I have no doubt which is the better alternative." "Perhaps, but I will not accept those choices." Ivanova's hand spread flat on the table and she leaned forward, pinning Braun with a blazing stare. "It's your job to find me an alternative I *can* accept, Doctor. Can you do it or not?" Braun returned her look for a moment, not flinching. "No," he said, finally. "No, I cannot. I've suggested the best possibility I can and you will not use it. I take no further responsibility." As Ivanova drew back her shoulders he pointed at her. "And before you start shouting – remember: I am *not* part of your crew, I am *not* subject to your direct orders, and you can *not* accuse me of insubordination. Remember?" Ivanova's hand contracted into a fist, but she made no other movement. DeClercq cleared his throat. This had to be stopped. "If there's no way to disrupt the reaction with mass, can we use energy? More shots from the main cannon, perhaps?" Braun blew out a disgusted exhalation, rolling his eyes. "Commander, that would only pump *more* energy into the reaction and accelerate it! The wave pattern of the dissolution is well mapped. Further energy input would merely – " "SONOFABITCH!" The high-pitched yell wasn't Ivanova's; it was Snow's. And the blonde woman was grinning like a lunatic. She pounded the table with her fist. "That's *it!* All we have to do is analyze the wave pattern, track it back and then – oh hi, Doc! How's the kids?" DeClercq twisted. Dr. Kimeda stood in the door, hands behind her back, black eyes fixed on the Captain. Something in her blank look made him suddenly very uneasy. "The Sharasai are fine." Kimeda stepped forward. "But I would like to draw your attention to a paragraph of the Earthforce Space Service regulations, if I may." "Doctor, I trust *you* to look after quarantine – " began Ivanova impatiently. "That has nothing to do with this." Kimeda's low, intense voice cut through Ivanova's and froze her midway through getting out of her seat. "Section 132, subsection B, paragraph i): Persons with proven telepathic capability are *not* to be permitted aboard an Earthforce ship at any time without proper accompaniment and monitoring, to include either the constant supervision by a Psi Corps military liaison telepath or regular dosages of psi-neutralizer drugs. Such persons constitute an unacceptable security risk." Ivanova finished rising, but slowly. "Doctor – " "Section 132, subsection E, paragraph i)." Kimeda cut her off, her voice louder and harsher and sharper. "Persons of species unknown and undocumented to Earthgov are not to be permitted aboard an Earthforce ship at any time without proper accompaniment and monitoring, to include constant supervision by a command-level line officer *and* uninterrupted security monitoring. Paragraph iii): Persons of species unknown and undocumented to Earthgov are not to be *taken* aboard an Earthforce ship without their understanding and consent as legally free individuals of their own civilization." "Oh give us a fraggin' BREAK!" Snow moaned. She spread her hands. "Jesus, Alex, these are kids from a destroyed civilization! What'd you expect us to do, leave them down there to die?" "Yes." DeClercq's jaw came open. The word was as cold and unmoving as stone. Before he could find a response Kimeda turned back to Ivanova, who was gazing at her now with a narrow look as if considering whether to fillet or broil Kimeda before eating her. "And any Captain who violates the security and safety of her ship that consistently, that drastically, is obviously not psychologically capable of command. I am therefore pronouncing you, Captain Ivanova, unfit for duty." She looked past Ivanova at DeClercq. "Commander, I order you to confine Captain Ivanova to quarters, for her own good." Ivanova spun, gaping at her second. DeClercq stared into her wide eyes and couldn't think of a single thing to say. MAIN BRIDGE 01:23 EST Waverly charged onto the bridge and spun about, gasping for breath. "Where's the Captain?" Ramirez glared at him. "In her briefing office, Mr. Waverly, and a little more professionally, please -- ?" "It's Kimeda," Waverly choked out between heaves; he'd sprinted up several decks and down half the length of the habitat section to get here. "She's calling the Sharasai an unacceptable security risk. She's going to certify the Captain as unfit for command!" Ramirez bolted out of his chair as everyone on the bridge stiffened. "*What?*" "Unsafe actions demonstrating – psychological incapacity," Waverly panted. He drew himself upright and fought to get his breathing under control. "It's complete crap, Lieutenant-Commander; you know it and so do I and so does everyone else!" "Yeah, but that's not our call to make, it's *hers*." Morgan gritted his teeth, eyes shadowed as he thought furiously. "Crap, crap, *crap*." "Sir – there has to be some kind of loophole, doesn't there?" said Bailey uncertainly. "I mean, we all *know* how Dr. Kimeda feels about the Captain – " Ramirez snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "I didn't hear that, Technician, and neither did anyone else on this bridge, understood?" He vaulted up the ladder to the observation deck. "Mr. Morgan, with me. Get Ensign Koderres up here and on helm, she has the conn." He paused in the door as Morgan hastily scrambled after him, then hurried down the black-green corridor. Waverly came after them, still panting. "What are we doing?" "We're talking somewhere where we can't be overheard – " Ramirez' pace didn't slow – "while we work out how to save the Captain from the Doctor and the Doctor from herself." "And I thought the hard part was over," muttered Morgan. "It won't be upheld. All Kimeda can do is have DeClercq take us back to Earthspace until the Captain can be certified sane – which with our testimony is bound to happen – and then Kimeda's Earthforce career is over with that kind of a miscall on her record." "You're assuming two things, Thomas," said Ramirez. "One, that Earthforce justice is fair at the best of times. Two, that Kimeda doesn't have undue influence on that process." Morgan's face changed as he thought about that. Waverly sighed. "Jesus Christ, but I hate politics." "A-bloody-men," Morgan mumbled. BRIEFING OFFICE 01:25 EST Ivanova turned back to Kimeda slowly, fighting tooth and nail to keep from flying at the doctor's throat. That would only seal her fate. The hell of it all was, Kimeda had a case. A flimsy one, but a case. Some of the decisions she'd made -- *had* to make – could seem very questionable without a full report and understanding. With Ivanova's own past, those flimsy insinuations could be built into something that could wreck her career. And fighting Kimeda now, or even appearing to, would just be the last nail in her coffin. "Why are you doing this?" she said in a low voice. "Because you are unfit for command." "That's no answer," Ivanova hissed. "You've thought I was unfit for command from the day I came aboard this ship. You've never even known who I am. All you see when you look at me is the traitor who murdered your father." Kimeda stiffened as if she'd been slapped. Her response was an ice-cold, hollow murmur. "I see the madwoman who's placed this ship, and this crew, in far more danger than any sane person can countenance. I see the lunatic who must be removed from command, now, before her quest to solve her own mistakes gets the entire ship destroyed." "And how ecstatic you must have been when you realized you finally had a reason that would look good on your report," Ivanova ground out. "You've been waiting for this from day one, haven't you?" "I am doing my duty by my oath of service to Earthforce, and by my medical oath as a doctor," Kimeda snarled back. "It doesn't surprise me that *you* wouldn't know anything about keeping oaths." Ivanova's hand jerked up, snapping into a martial-arts blade completely without conscious choice. Only the sight of Kimeda's nearly invisible smile stopped her. Kimeda *wanted* her to attack. This was not a briefing room where insubordination could damage morale, and her executive officer could hide behind his own reputation and a fifteen-year-old regulation; this was a legal and recognized challenge of her ability to command. If Ivanova swung her hand, her career was over, whether the blow landed or not. Kimeda met her eyes a moment longer, the smile dimming just slightly. But it would just have been icing on the cake, and she knew it. She deliberately broke the lock and gazed past Ivanova to DeClercq. "Commander, please confine the Captain to quarters." "Captain – " The door swung back. Ramirez, Morgan and Waverly froze on the threshold as Kimeda turned a raging, boiling glare of hatred on them. Ramirez actually gulped, but then looked straight past her. "Captain, are you all right?" "The Captain has been removed from command!" spat Kimeda. "The *Commander* is in charge now. You will obey *him*." The idea struck Ivanova in the face like a pillow, stunning, smothering. It was difficult to find the breath to speak. "That's right." Her voice was low and toneless. "You will, Philip. Thomas. We have to do things by the proper chain of command." She held their gazes, one by one. "Yes," said DeClercq. "I am in command now. And my order is that we will continue on our current course of action. Lieutenant Snow? You had a suggestion for neutralizing the reaction below?" Snow blinked, doing a remarkably good impression of a fish. Then she recovered. "Uh – yes! Yes, I do. All we have to do is – " "You can't be serious," whispered Kimeda. Snow scowled. "Doesn't *anyone* want to hear this idea?" "You're out of your mind! Those aliens have to be confined and we have to get out of here! Now!" DeClercq folded his arms and looked at Kimeda patiently. "Doctor, those are my orders and they stand. Unless you wish to certify *me* unfit for command." It was a bait more perfect than Ivanova could have managed, and Kimeda took it. "Yes!" she shouted. "All right! I hereby certify you unfit for command! Lieutenant-Commander Ramirez! Confine both the Captain *and* the Commander to quarters!" Ramirez grinned. "Very well, Doctor. But while I'm doing that – Lieutenant Snow, will you kindly implement your plan to neutralize the reaction and see to the safe supervision of the Sharasai?" Kimeda whirled to stare at him, gaping. "You're mad," she choked. "You're all of you out of your mind -- *Mr. Morgan!* Confine them *all* to quarters!" "You'll have to confine me too, Doc," said Morgan, for once without the faintest trace of laughter in his voice. "Because I'm not doing anything any differently from the Captain." Helplessly, Kimeda turned to Waverly. He threw up his hands and shook his head before she even got a word out. "Forget it, Doc." Kimeda swayed. Without warning she collapsed into one of the briefing room chairs and began to shake. Tears trickled down her cheeks. "You're all mad," she wept. "You're going to kill us all. You're mad." "Maybe so," said Ivanova. Weirdly, she felt no triumph; only a vast weariness. "But nobody in Earthgov would believe you if you tried to certify an entire ship's command crew as insane. One, sure. Two, just maybe. Three, only if you had powerful friends in Earthgov, which I'm sure you do. But not even they could back up a certification of the entire crew. That doesn't prove *our* insanity, Doctor. Just yours." Kimeda's face crumpled and she fell onto her arms, her shoulders quaking. Ivanova lowered her voice and leaned towards Waverly. "Get her to Medbay; have one of her assistants get her a tranquilizer. We'll deal with this on the way back to Earthspace." She turned to Snow. "Tiffany? You had an idea, I believe?" "Am I gonna get interrupted this time?" said the Chief of Engineering archly, folding her arms. "No." "Well then. All we have to do is – " "Brilliant!" said Morgan. "I should have thought of it." The glare Ivanova and Snow turned on him should have melted him to the floor. He cringed, but couldn't wipe out his smile entirely. "Sorry," he said. "Couldn't resist." ...TO BE CONTINUED