Unification: Civil War III Chapter Three

"Are you sure it's a Federation fighter?" asked Connor.

"I'm positive," said Tarses. "The signal I'm getting is from a Federation fighter."

"What's a Federation fighter doing this far out?" asked Shelby.

"Hail them on all frequencies," Connor ordered. "If it's come this far, it hasn't come to attack us."

Tarses began operating his board, combining a full sensor scan with a full hail.

"Sir, it's a Psi-Corp fighter!" he reported.

"No!" said Lyta, getting to her feet. "It can't be!"

"Who?" asked Connor.

"A response to our hail, sir," said Tarses. "Audio only."

"On speaker."

There was a slight crackle before a voice could be heard.

"Captain MacCleod, this is Bester, of the Psi-Corps."

Connor looked at Lyta. Lyta nodded, confirming Bester's identity.

"What can I do for you, Mister Bester?"

"I must speak with you, Captain. As you are the only representatives of your Free Federation out here, you will have to do."

MacCleod raised an eyebrow.

"Please forgive me for that turn of phrase," said Bester. "Can I have your permission to come aboard? I believe your shuttle bay two is quite empty."

"Lock on the tractor beam, Mister Tarses," Connor ordered. "Bring him in and escort him to the observation lounge. Commander Shelby, Lyta, you're with me."

 

A skeptical crew of the U.S.S. Lohengrin sat as Bester paced up and down the observation lounge, telling them an interesting story.

"Although the Imperials have promised to leave the Psi-Corps as it is, many of us do not believe them," Bester stated.

"Many of us didn't believe the Psi-Corp," said Lyta. "Especially those of us in it!"

"This is different," Bester continued. "A few years ago, around about the time of the Imperial's first attack on Deep Space Nine, a new Psi-Corp recruit was given... special training."

"What do you mean?" asked Shelby.

"She, or he, was 'given' a second personality, one which would pass on vital information when the time came," Bester explained. "This person was then returned to their normal life, and a short while later, gained a position of responsibility within the Babylon 5 command crew."

"Who is it?"

"That, I do not know. My contacts on Mars were not able to garner that information."

"What information did they give you?" asked Connor.

"A code-word, which, when telepathically implanted within the agent's mind, will bring the second personality to the surface."

"What is this code-word?" asked Connor.

Suddenly, Bester turned his attention to Lyta, and with but a thought and a few seconds' duration, passed the code-word onto his fellow telepath.

"What was that?" asked Shelby.

"I know the code-word," said Lyta.

"The code-word has already been used on those still on Babylon 5," said Bester. "That leaves those on their way to your conference on the Pegasus station."

"How did you know about that?" asked Connor. "It's supposed to be a secret!"

"I have my ways and means, Captain MacCleod. Now, if you'll excuse me, my work here is done. Please release the tractor beam from my fighter, and I will be on my way."

"How do we know you won't just run right back to Servalan and Palpatine, and tell them what you've done?" asked Shelby.

"Ask Lyta," Bester replied. "She knows I've been telling the truth. You did order her to scan me after all, didn't you, Captain?"

And with that, Bester left the observation lounge and returned to the shuttle bay. Moments later, he was gone.

"Do you think we can really trust him?" asked Connor.

"He was really telling the truth," said Lyta. "Something has changed about him, Captain. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something has changed."

 

It began to amaze James Watt just how much support the Free Federation really had. He stood near the main docking bay, cup of coffee in his hand, watching supporters of both the Free Federation and the Rebel Alliance board the station. Some of these men and women came from races he had only heard of, and some from races he had never seen before. Watt thought he had seen it all; he couldn't have been more wrong.

Then, something else caught his attention. He noticed a figure lurking in the shadows. Something wasn't quite right about this person. Watt couldn't see clearly who it was, but he could tell something was very wrong. He then saw whoever it was reaching into their pocket and taking out a small device. The feeling Watt was having got stronger and stronger.

But there was nothing he could do to prevent what was about to happen. He could only look on in horror as a massive explosion rocked the docking bay. The force of the blast sent him flying back at least twenty feet. Dazed slightly, but not dazed enough to see the fire suppression system kick into its routine.

It was moments later when the full shock hit him. There were bodies everywhere. He couldn't tell if they were dead or alive. He then began to feel drowsy. He quickly came to the conclusion that he was concussed.

The last thing he saw, before he became unconscious, was the unknown, shady figure moving away from the scene, passing him. If only he had been strong enough to prevent their escape.