Lyta and Ivanova Part 11 of ---(WIP)Criticism is welcomed. Without, it there can't be any improvement. Address criticisms to [xazqrten@cox.net]
**************************************************************** "Hello, Vir," greeted Lyta. "Miss Alexander. It has been a while," answered the Centauri ambassador. As Vir seated himself, Ta'Lon the Narn ambassador arrived. Introductions were made, and Lyta asked Vir, "How are things in the royal court these days?" "It's not a good subject for conversation these days, Miss Alexander." "Call me Lyta, Vir. We aren't formal today." "Lyta?" asked Ta'Lon, "Would I be out of line if I asked where citizen G'Kar is now?" "Not at all. He dropped me and Maya off on a colony on the edge of IA space. I haven't heard from, or seen, him since. He could literally be anywhere." "Ambassador Hental. You want to talk trade with the Centauri Republic?" asked Vir. "Actually, I would like to make preliminary explorations with both your peoples concerning trade. I know about the political situations, but since my planet didn't even belong to any alliance at that time, I was hoping we could begin with clean slates," replied Hental. "I will approach trade people back home," answered Vir. "As will I," added Ta'Lon. "What do you think will happen to Captains Ivanova and Lochley?" asked Vir. "I really don't know. I suspect this inquiry is as much political as anything else, so normal logic probably doesn't apply. At best, they won't be relieved of command or dismissed." "A Narn acting like Captain Ivanova with the same results would be promoted for initiative," commented Ta'Lon. "Privately, the same would apply to any Centauri captain who fared as well, after the proper public censure of course," added Vir. "We don't have space fleets yet, but any commander who saved a large city by his own initiative would be rewarded. The people who endangered it would be properly punished," noted Harly. "We’ll have to wait and see," replied Lyta. The conversation turned back to interstellar trade and politics. Maya had to fight sleep, as she thought the conversation less then thrilling. **************************** It was almost 1600 when Commander Owens dropped by the captain's office. He noted that her "IN" basket was much lower than it had been that morning, and her "OUT" basket was overflowing. "Shouldn't you call your yeoman to empty that thing, captain?" The yeoman must have overheard him, because at that time he came in and emptied the captain's "OUT" basket and added a handful to the "IN" basket. "It’s a never ending stream, Pat. The more I finish, the more he brings in. Sometimes I feel like Sisyphus." "That's why they pay you the big money, captain." "Ha!Ha!Ha!" she replied. "Heard anything from the first day of the inquiry?" "No, and in this case, no news is definitely good news." "I understand they’re getting records for the last three months from all over the EA and IA. I heard they think this thing may be bigger than anyone first thought." "All that interests me is how high they’re going to hang me and Elizabeth. We're the low people on the totem pole, and the most politically expendable." "Do you really think they’ll trash you, sir?" "In a heartbeat, commander." "Will you be seeing Mr. Wayne this evening?" Susan shot him a "what business is it of yours" look. "You should know there are a couple of pools being run on the ship." "What kind of pools, Pat?" "Oh, the engagement announcement, the wedding announcement, and the due date pools come to mind." Susan sat up straight and asked, "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" "Members of the crew see you with him, and they talk. They think you two make a great couple. I have heard many of them comment that your hard edge is a little softer, lately. They like it." "Me getting soft! What I do is my business, but their reaction isn't exactly what I would have expected. I thought maybe they wouldn't have quite as much respect for a CO that had a boyfriend." "You have driven this crew harder than I have ever seen any crew driven before, but it wasn't an ego trip, like some I’ve seen. This firefight proved to them how much you care for them. We didn't lose one crewmember, and the pilots we lost weren't from not making sure they were ready for anything. You're their CO, but you have acted like their mother. Not intentionally, but that's how they see it. You have their respect, captain. Never doubt that." "For your information, yes, I plan to see him later this evening. Anything after that is private. Do I make myself clear, commander?" "Yes, sir." ***************************************************************** 1700 Babylon 5 Wardroom "When do we want to start the interviews?" asked Marsh. "I want to give the boys a couple of days to get the other records. I want everything we’ve seen, scrutinized to answer the questions we’ve asked today. I figure Monday will be soon enough," answered Sanchez. "What did you think of the 3D presentations?" "You first," answered Sanchez. "I still don't believe you can do that with a ship of that size, and I saw it done." "Now you know why she is the most respected combat commander in the EA. I want to know how they did it. I have never seen or heard of those tactics," responded Sanchez. "You do have to respect her, even if you don't like her." "I think I understand what Leftcourt sees in her. She is different," said Sanchez. "I don't know about you, but I want a drink." "I'll buy," answered Sanchez. ****************************************************************** Sanchez and Marsh were enjoying their drink in front of a Zocalo cafe‚ when Captain William 'Bill' Powers approached their table. "We have begun gathering the data you want General. Due to delays, we may not have it all by Monday," said Powers. "We’ll start with what we have by then and play the rest of it by ear," answered Sanchez. "You must have a talented ear," commented Lyta Alexander, who had approached unnoticed. "What can I do for you, Miss Alexander," asked Sanchez. "Better question is what I can do for you," she responded. "Captain Powers meet Miss Lyta Alexander, former terrorist," offered Marsh. Powers looked the woman over. She was dressed in black pants, shirt and a vest to match. Her red hair was brilliant in the Zocalo lighting. She was a knockout. "My pleasure, Miss Alexander," he replied offering his hand. Lyta looked at it for almost a minute, then took it and shook it. Her hand was warm and soft, but her grip was viselike. "If you will excuse me," he said, looking at the generals, "I have some more work to do. Miss Alexander." "Won't you have a seat Miss Alexander?" asked Marsh. Lyta pulled out a chair and sat down, not waiting for someone to do it for her. "What did you mean by 'what you can do for us'?" asked Sanchez. "How much do the two of you know about the 'telepath' problem?" Looking at one another they answered in Unison, "What 'telepath' problem?" "I thought that went away with the Psi Corps," stated Marsh. Sanchez nodded agreement. "It’s a result of that. It seems that many Psi Corps senior personnel didn't like the idea of being put on a short leash. They’re freelancing their abilities, to whomever will pay. They don't seem to care about ethics, either, which in itself is not surprising, since they didn't follow the rules anyway, when they were with the corps." The two men thought about the possible ramifications of what Lyta had just said for almost five minutes before responding. In the meantime, she had ordered a drink and snack. "The media could use these telepaths to scan us without our knowledge and release stories and speculations using the information," stated Marsh. "Good call, General Marsh." "How can you help us with that?" asked Sanchez. "Do either of you fellows fish?" They both nodded yes. "You know what bait is, then. I will supply you with telepaths to escort your people at all times. They can jam anyone trying to gather stray thoughts and detect any scan attempts. I’ll deal with the errant teeps. I was sent here because these non-attached teeps were interfering with our negotiators. We have been dealing with them, but they’re getting wise to us. You offer us a chance to sneak up on them, so to speak." "How do we know your people are trustworthy?" asked Sanchez. "Truthfully... You don't. All you have is my word, but consider this, would I do anything to endanger the careers of Lochley and Ivanova? I hardly think so. At the present time, your best interests and mine are congruent. I have already shown you that I can get any information I desire." "We will consider your offer, Miss Alexander and get back to you," offered Marsh. "Don't take too long. You might want to read the newspaper and watch ISN broadcasts, too. They’ll let you know what kind of leaks you have. I can plug those leaks, too." That ended the conversation. Lyta finished her snack and drink, and left them sitting, mulling over what she had just told them. Later that evening as they sat in their quarters and watched ISN, the breaking news about the Board of Inquiry sent to Babylon 5 was the leadoff story. It only took a few minutes for the men to realize someone in their group was talking out of class. Before the newscast had ended they had conferred and decided to accept Lyta's offer. They learned from her, it wasn't free or cheap. They struck a deal and Lyta's people began to escort the Board of Inquiry members and their staff, the next morning. By the end of that day there were six fewer former Psi Corps people selling their talents, and several leaks were plugged, when they were put out of business. The usual anonymous sources were nowhere to be found for the media. Lyta and her telepaths put the fear of God into those who would play such games. Since the media were excluded from the proceedings, because of the classified nature of the evidence and testimonies, the effectiveness of her people was evident by the lack of items concerning the inquiry making their way into the broadcasts and papers. All the media could do was speculate, and they did, with endlessly talking head experts. *********************************************************************** Susan and Elizabeth both accosted Lyta about their male friends working for the Board of Inquiry. Lyta carefully explained what was at risk and placated them. The men did not discuss anything they heard or observed at the panels meetings. All they could do was listen to the questions of the two women and tell them they couldn't comment. *********************************************************************** It had been several days since Charles and the rest of Lyta's people had begun working for General Sanchez. Susan Ivanova and Elizabeth Lochley were coming to terms with their situations, even though they didn't like them. Charles was supporting himself on his elbows as he studied Susan's face. "I just wish you could tell me something, Charley." His answer was to put his mouth over her left nipple intending to gently maul it with his tongue until she quit talking. She was playing with his hair when he shifted to kissing her deeply. "Chermfg thisnd fdair." Raising his head he asked, "Did you say something?" Breathing heavily, she said, "I said, "This isn't fair"." "What isn't fair?" Before she could answer he kissed her again. She gave up trying to talk and returned his kiss. A scene similar was happening between Lochley and Evans in her quarters. Evans cut off her questions with a kiss and never gave her a chance to say anything else before he put forth his best efforts. The conversation was lost after that. ********************************************************************** Day 17 Babylon 5 "Describe to me the procedure you used to clear civilians out of the areas that were to be filled with non-burnable gasses, Mr. Allan?" requested the captain doing the questioning. "We did a walk-through making anyone in an area leave ahead of us, leaving any possessions they couldn't carry on their immediate person behind, and then we secured and put a seal on the doors. The idea was, if anyone went back in, we could tell because the seal would be broken. Then we stationed guards at the entry points into each sector," answered Zack. "Then how did anyone manage to get back into the places?" asked the captain. "We didn't know it at first, but they killed or badly injured a number of our guards and reentered the sections just before the gasses were pumped in. It wasn't until we did full investigations and autopsies on the bodies that we were able to determine more or less what happened," responded Zack. "What were you able to determine?" "We found evidence pointing to the people who had killed or injured our guards. We also found that many of the people who had gone back into the spaces were looking for drugs and so forth that had been left behind. There were fights that resulted in most of the dead bodies we found. A few of them died from suffocation before they could get back out of the spaces." "So in short, Captain Lochley's decision to evacuate people from these areas and fill them with non-flammable gasses, did not, in fact, result in any of these civilian casualties, except for those people who brought it upon themselves?" "No sir." "What did you think of Captain Lochley's decision concerning this evolution, Mr. Allan?" asked General Fitzgerald. "I thought it was a good idea at the time. I still do. The only thing I had any question about was whether we would have time to evacuate the spaces. It turned out that we did. It did take all of my people and a number of rangers to get it done." "Mr. Allan," asked General Ames, "How were you able to learn of the time of death of the guards with such accuracy?" Zack smiled for the first time, and responded, "They had numbers and checked in every fifteen minutes. When they didn't check in, in their assigned order, we went to investigate. By then, we didn't have enough time left to search through the space again, so we resealed it, and replaced the guard, sir." The captain polled the panel for further questions and receiving none, dismissed Zack as a witness. The panel heard several more witnesses to how the protection of the station had been handled. At the end of this time, they broke for lunch. They would question Captain Lochley about her decisions after lunch. ********************************************************************* "Please explain what happened over the last week or so concerning the station, Captain Lochley?" asked the appointed questioner. "Could you be more specific, mister prosecutor?" responded Lochley. "I’m not a prosecutor, Captain Lochley." "My error. Could you be more specific," she repeated. "Can you explain what happened over the last week or so?" "I’ll have to refer to station records. I can't remember what is in all the reports, I receive. For example, we had a problem with the water supply in hydroponics, but I don't remember all the particulars. However, the records are available." She responded. "That isn't what I mean, captain." "Exactly what do you mean. I will answer any question to the best of my ability, but I can't read your mind. After all, I'm not a telepath," she replied. This caused muffled laughter in the room. "This isn't funny, captain." "It wasn't meant to be! Captain!" she shot back. Then continued, "I will answer questions that are properly stated, but I will not participate in a fishing expedition. Again, I ask you to be specific!" The captain, Conrad according to his name tag, looked at the panel of generals in desperation. All he got was a wall of blank faces. They weren't going to help him, and Lochley was going to fight every step of the way. "When did you first learn of a danger to Babylon 5, captain? "It was while I was shopping for a dress with Captain Susan Ivanova just after she arrived here at the station." "Please elaborate, captain." "Susan and I were shopping for dresses to wear to a dinner. Susan was invited to dinner by a friend and she got permission to invite me. While we were actually shopping, she asked me where the normal station guard was. I told her I didn't know, and with the way things are around here, I hadn't noticed them leave. We agreed to discuss it later. We discussed it later, after she had told General Leftcourt she wanted to extend her stay in order to give her crew a chance to do some last minute shopping and to unwind, before they had to face what was planned for them upon their return to Earth. She told him it would be a good idea for her to stay until EA and IA could get a guard reestablished. I understand General Leftcourt supported her ideas." "Let the record show that General Leftcourt indeed supported Captain Ivanova's evaluation of the situation and her solution." Captain Conrad waited until the entries had been made, including appending a copy of the transcript of the referenced conversation with General Leftcourt. "What can you tell us about Captain Ivanova's response to return to Earth early?" "What do you want to know?" she responded. "You were with her when she received the call from a member of the President's staff to return to Earth, immediately, weren't you?" "Yes. It was President Luchenko's personal aide, a Mister Jack Garvey, if I am not mistaken." "There were written orders to confirm Mister Garvey's verbal orders, were there not?" "I don't know. Her ship's communications equipment was suffering from intermittent problems, so she shifted her guard to the station. We never received the orders. It may be that while we were getting the guard shifted that they were amongst several messages we missed. We asked for retransmission of the missed messages, but I don't remember us receiving it." "There is a record of it being sent and resent, so we know it exists. We have had our investigators go over both Babylon 5 and Ares communications records and can find no trace of it ever being received." "I very sorry to hear that, captain." Lochley knew that without the confirmation message being received by Susan, the possibility of her being tried for disobeying orders was up in smoke, since, Garvey himself, not being in the chain of command, had no authority to issue orders to a military commander. She would like to know what had happened to the message. Captain Conrad didn't seem to be bothered that it had vanished. "I’m sure you are, Captain Lochley. Without that message, Mister Garvey's communication has no weight." Continuing on, he asked, "Why did you fill the extreme outer area spaces with nitrogen?" "I got the idea from Captain Ivanova. She described how her ship prepared for combat by evacuating the outer areas and replacing the atmosphere with non-flammable gas, cut down on damage because fires could not burn and get out of control. Also, she added that since the spaces would have to be inspected and repaired by personnel wearing self-contained breathing systems, it presented no undue danger to the crew. True, Babylon 5 is not a warship, but due to the extremely large number of civilians on board, fire is an even greater danger than it is aboard a warship. Therefore, I concluded it might be a good idea for us, if the necessity ever arose. It did, only a day or so later." "Your security chief has already given his account of how your order was implemented. Considering the amount of damage your station sustained and the limiting of that damage to the immediate impact area, it appears it was a good strategy." Captain Conrad looked at the table where Generals Sanchez and Marsh were sitting and Marsh nodded his head. "What is your relationship with Lyta Alexander?" "I know her. She’s a friend of Captain Ivanova's." "You have had run-ins with her in the past?" "I once arrested her on suspicion of terrorist activities." "What happened with that incident?" "The charges were withdrawn and I released her." "Didn't that seem odd to you?" "I was ordered to arrest her, and I did. I was subsequently ordered to release her, and I did. As far as I was concerned, the order to release her closed the matter." "You know she was involved after that with the downfall of Psi Corps during the telepath war?" "So. What does that have to do with this inquiry, captain?" asked Lochley, flatly. "One last area of concern, Captain Lochley. It's your relationship with Mister Larry Evans." "What do you want to know, captain?" "When and how did you meet him?" "I was introduced to him and Charles Wayne at the dinner with Lyta Alexander and Captain Ivanova." "Was there anything out of the ordinary about the meeting?" "In what respect?" "Were you set up?" "I don't think so. While dancing with Larry, Mr. Evans, I asked how they came to attend. He explained that Lyta asked the Glenthorian staff, including her telepaths for two volunteers to have dinner with the captain of the station and the EA destroyer alongside. She apparently got no 'volunteers' and used a lottery to pick two 'volunteers'. According to Mr. Evans, they thought they would have to listen to Lyta and two middle-aged men talk about trade negotiations. He admitted that he was pleasantly surprised. I suppose you could request they testify to the truth of the story." "We’ll see. Just what is your relationship at this time, with Mr. Evans?" "Bluntly. We are lovers. That is, we sleep together and have sex. Is that what you wanted to hear, captain. Also, we are leaning toward making it a permanent situation. By the way captain, when did it become illegal for a military person of one sex to have a relationship with a telepath of the opposite sex?" "That was the answer. As far as I know, captain, it isn't illegal. It just presents some security problems." "Captain. Nothing I do aboard this station or have done since taking command has been classified. Since, I intend to retire, when I’m relieved of command, I fail to see a problem. If it is, I will tender my resignation before the day is out. Unless you have questions that are more pertinent than the ones you have just asked, I have work to do, a station to run, and request to be dismissed from these proceedings." Conrad looked at Sanchez, Marsh and the rest of the panel and was rewarded with silence. "No further questions, captain. You may go." Lochley left the room without looking at the inquiry panel. Lochley was the last witness to be questioned for the day. The panel started reviewing the days results and integrating that with their other data. ************************************************************************* Looking at the panel after everyone else had left the room, Sanchez, asked, "Anything anyone want to discuss anything before we call it a day?" "What were the questions about the Alexander woman relationship with Lochley aimed at?" asked Fitzgerald. "I wanted to establish that they weren't friends or even friendly acquaintances," replied Marsh. "We're using her people working with station security to keep our leaks to a minimum, aren't we?" asked Fitzgerald. "Yes we are. Her people are waiting outside to escort us. The leaks have dried up, since I employed them," answered Sanchez. He continued, "It’s driving the media up a wall, too." "I for one, don't see any problem with Lochley. I know, my son is a telepath, but they aren't any more likely to be a security risk than any one else. I’m more interested in learning who orchestrated, and supported the attack on the station, and I’ll bet there aren't any telepaths involved," stated Ames. Nobody argued with his assessment of the situation. "Then, all we have to do for the Lochley portion of this inquiry is write up the report and recommendation. Is that what you gents are telling me?" asked Sanchez. Heads nodding agreement were his answer. "I want a few days to question Ivanova's crew. We need a delay anyway. We have big brass who want to be observers when we tear her apart, if we can," said Sanchez. "That might not be easy, general," said Fitzgerald. "You aren't telling me anything I don't already know," responded Sanchez. ******************************************************************** END PART 11