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Babylon 5:Betrayalsby S. M. StirlingBased on the series by J. Michael StraczynskiISBN: 0-440-22234-6May, 1995upload : 30.VI.2012ver 0.99. If you found any errors in text - send fragment with error to me: hungryewok@mail.ru and it'll be fixed.###############################################################################To Jan Stirling, with love. And to Harlan, for being a great guy and good friend.Historian's Note: The year is 2259, during the Narn-Centauri War.CHAPTER 1Security Chief Garibaldi turned to gaze out the great window in Captain Sheridan's office, to the view beyond. Gardens and parks stretched away as far as the eye could see, curving upward on either side of the vast cylinder that enclosed them. Thin clouds floated gently "above" them-everything towards the notional center of the giant cylinder was above-occasionally blessing the crops below with a genuine rain. The air had an aliveness to it that was totally unlike the neutral filtered taste of shipboard, full of growing things and damp earth, with an underlying tang of ozone and synthetics. Like many other things on Babylon 5 it was unique, a mixture whose proportions were matched nowhere else in the area humans had explored.Odd, he thought, as he watched a small shower curve downward, the light turning the drops coppery-gold in color. When you get caught in a shower here, you really resent it. Somebody is to blame.Behind him Susan Ivanova and Captain John Sheridan leaned towards each other, earnestly discussing the delicate timing of the docking procedure to be used when the Narn and Centauri delegations arrived for their peace conference.Pellucidar, Garibaldi thought gazing idly outward, must have looked something like this.He turned back to the group clustered around the big black desk and wondered if any of them had ever read anything so frivolous as Edgar Rice Burroughs when they were kids. Ac- tually, sometimes I wonder if they ever were kids.Sheridan glanced up. His piercing blue gaze was like the Platonic ideal of Absolute Duty. It would have been inhuman if Garibaldi hadn't known that while Captain Sheridan would let nothing stand between him and his duty, he would also always reserve the right to define what that duty ultimately was. The Earthforce General Staff tended to think of its officers as weapons they could trigger at will. He wondered what would happen when they found out that Sheridan wasn't that type of man at all."I've had some complaints from merchants that a number of sales have been interrupted by your security drills. With the result that their clients have changed their minds." The Captain leaned back in his chair and studied his Security Chief with a neutral expression.Garibaldi pursed his lips and looked down at his folded hands. Just when I'm sure he trusts me, he thought with a purely imaginary sigh. Now, what does the good Captain want to hear? At times he was just probing for a reaction, building his database on you.The heads of staff had met in the Captain's luxurious- with its inlaid floor and comfortable couch-and spacious- an unimaginable seven by five meters-office to discuss preparations for the upcoming peace conference. Right now, to Garibaldi the place felt about as spacious as a closet. Ivanova was focused, as usual; Franklin's dark face held a certain professional interest as he watched the interactions."Well, Sir, we have been laying the training on a little thick, but if anything happened during the conference, the complaints would be a lot worse. It's like any other form of readiness training: a pain in the butt until it's needed." A little stiff, Garibaldi thought. "Urn, was it my people who backed out of those sales?""In several cases, yes," Sheridan said, fiddling with a data crystal. "In others it was simply the disruption that was the problem. They complained particularly about the hull breach drills."Garibaldi winced. "I was pretty upset about those myself." He leaned his chin on one fist and looked the Captain in the eye. "When the citizens bothered to show up at their evacuation stations at all, they arrived up to a half an hour late. So I think we'll need to keep the pressure on in that area until we get people up to the necessary speed. That's basic lifesaving stuff, after all. About the other drills, well"-he shrugged-"I can appreciate their frustration, but it is a temporary situation. And we can't very well force our people to make purchases they don't want." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I can write a memo and have it sent to the offended parties, apologizing for the inconvenience..." Sheridan considered Garibaldi without speaking.* * *Susan Ivanova wrinkled her brow in puzzlement. What brought this on? she wondered. She'd thought that Sheridan and Garibaldi were finally getting comfortable with each other.When he'd first arrived and read Garibaldi's rather ugly personnel records, Sheridan had wanted the Security Chief replaced ASAP... but that was then.And yet, she thought, Michael has an unfortunate record for failing under stress, and this conference is very important.Their natures were so visibly opposite. Sheridan was turned out in military perfection, his blond hair precisely | combed, buttons polished, badges aligned just so. Garibaldi's I brown brush cut managed to look slightly disheveled, and in company with his present wide-eyed expression he resembled a frowsy chipmunk. While his uniform was no less pressed than the Captain's, he managed to make it look like a rumpled leisure suit.Still, watching the Captain trying to play Psi cop with the Security Chief was enough to make her hackles rise. What was it he'd said to her? A good commander is popular, but because he's good, not because he tries to be liked.Garibaldi shrugged again. "That might placate 'em," he went on. "But I'm not about to cut back on security just to satisfy a few disgruntled merchants." He paused. "Unless you make that a direct order. Sir."Sheridan grinned; the expression transformed his face, turning the cold military bearing boyish for a moment. "No, that won't be necessary. Just wanted you to know what was going on. That memo's a good idea, though."Sheridan's link chittered and he answered with a frown, "Yes.""Captain," his assistant said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Centauri Ambassador would like to speak to you. I told him you were in conference, but he was very insistent.""It's all right, Sergeant; tell him I'll be with him in a moment. And put the Narn ambassador through when he calls.""As I'm sure he will," Susan said.The three Earthforce officers stifled groans of agreement. Anything that involved Narn and Centauri in the same room had been difficult enough before the war. Since the outbreak of open hostilities, it had been nearly impossible."I don't blame the Narn for being touchy," Susan said thoughtfully. "Granted, they can be a little difficult at times-"This time Garibaldi did snort aloud."-but they certainly didn't push the Centauri hard enough to justify a declaration of war.""And," Sheridan added, "the Centauri have been winning. Rather more quickly than anyone thought likely." His voice changed timbre. "Put the Ambassador through.""Captain Sheridan," Ambassador Londo Mollari's accented voice came through the link tinged with regret. "I am sorry to interrupt your conference. But I have a complaint to make about the quarters assigned to the Centauri delegates to the peace conference."All of the Earthforce personnel leaned forward. Were the Centauri looking for an excuse to cancel? They were pushing the Narn back... but the nonaligned systems would be offended by too blatant a show of disregard for interstellar public opinion."What seems to be the problem, Ambassador?" Sheridan asked calmly."The amount of space we have been assigned..." Londo said, his voice strained, "is quite inadequate. The rooms are so small, and so sparely furnished. We Centauri require a certain degree of style and spaciousness, as I'm sure you know. I must request that, at the very least, we be assigned several more rooms. Otherwise, I fear we may insult the delegates. Which, of course, would get things off to a very bad start; as I'm sure you'll agree.""Ambassador Mollari," Sheridan said patiently, "your delegates have been assigned the largest quarters we could find. You did request that they be housed as close to the ambassadorial wing as possible for reasons of security and I convenience. Consequently, since that's the most popular residential area on the station, there was limited space available. But they are exactly the same size as those offered to the Narn. And the Narn have expressed no dissatisfaction whatsoever.""The Narn idea of decorating is rocks and steam," Mollari sneered. "Centauri sensibilities require something more... gracious.""The Centauri government is welcome to decorate the suites in any way that pleases your delegates," Sheridan said.At Centauri expense, naturally. Provided you restore the rooms to their original condition." He was smiling now. Will that be sufficient, Ambassador?""It will have to be," Londo said with asperity. "Thank you for your time, Captain." He signed off."Do you think it's likely to be a problem?" Ivanova asked. "The rooms, I mean.""Nah," Sheridan said with a dismissive wave of his hand."He just wanted to be sure we hadn't given the Narn more space than the Centauri.""Subtle," Franklin observed with a half smile, his dark eyes twinkling."And who am I to deny the Centauri an opportunity to be subtle?" Sheridan asked, smiling comfortably, clasping his hands behind his hea... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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