Konnichiwa all!
Here's part 4 of Angels. Please give me some constructive comments.
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 othercopyright 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 the Warlock-class destroyer is mentioned in the Babylon 5
series, the description given in this fic is conjectural, since no
specifications or drawings of this class are known by the poor
storyteller to exist. If anyone discovers anything on this class of
ship, please let me know.
Previously on Babylon 5:
After discovering the Angels' return on planet M-235, the
Earthforce Special Operations frigate Perry was sent to Babylon 5 after
President Luchenko assumed control of the situation from Nerv and its
commander, Thirteen. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Jesa Marason, a Starfury
pilot, led his squad into battle with a group of Raiders attacking a
transport. Upon returning to the station he runs into Danielle Asuka
Langley who became hysterical and ranted about Impacts and Angels and
she was taken away by Security to Medlab 1. Meanwhile Garibaldi informs
Sheridan about some aspects of Earthforce's takeover of the Angel
situation, as well as the possibility of Seele resurfacing, Evangelion
Unit 01's restoration by Nerv, and the revelation that Thirteen is
Nerv's commander. The Perry has just arrived at Babylon 5 and they were
awaiting the arrival of the Griffin and the Missouri.
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 4A - Always With Angels
Cruising through the netherworld maelstrom of hyperspace, the
Earthforce Warlock-class destroyer Griffin majestically cut her way
through on her way to her destination: Babylon 5. Although technically
considered a destroyer according to Earth Alliance guidelines, the
Griffin's length rivaled that of a Nova-class heavy cruiser and
her width was 20% greater than an Omega-class ship. As the Omega class
was considered to be one of the best ship designs Earthforce had ever
conceived, the Griffin's overall appearance was based on it with some
other modifications. Two horn-like protrusions jetted out from either
side of the bow serving as additional weapons ports. Four similar but
larger protrusions were built into the larger aft section; two were
pulse cannon ports and two served as extended sensors. The larger aft
section enabled the addition of two more engines to provide the extra
power the ship and her crew of 349 required.
The Griffin's bridge was nearly identical to that of the Omega
class. Twelve officers and crew manned the various stations: weapons,
helm, sensors, navigation, environmental, all ensuring the ship which
made up the extent of everyone's world last a little longer. The only
decoration on the bridge was by the main aft doors. As the Griffin was
named after the mythological beast, a plaque of a white griffin in an
attacking dive hung next to the door against a black background.
Beneath was a smaller plaque with a stylized "G" painted on it,
provided the day it first left Earth Station Prime for its one-year
shakedown cruise. A shakedown cruise which the current situation had
cut short.
Too short, in my mind, thought Captain Susan Ivanova, sitting in
the center command chair, her fingers steepled as she gazed into the
maelstrom outside the Griffin's main view screen. So far the shakedown
had produced no major problems as of yet, and her crew was gaining more
experience on how this brand-new ship operated with each passing day,
but Ivanova still didn't think it enough. Maybe it was her Russian mind
set taking over. That's it, she realized. It has to be that ingrained
pessimism. After all, the Griffin was the first of a new class of
destroyer. She was a fine ship, and Ivanova could not find any fault
with any member of the ship's crew. She couldn't have asked for a finer
crew an all of Earthforce. Even the C&C people on Babylon 5 would be
hard-pressed to match the quality of the Griffin's crew.
Thinking of Babylon 5 always gave her pause now. She felt she had
seen almost everything in the four years she served as the station's
second-in-command, and she had felt everything a person could possibly
feel there as well: anger, fear, loneliness, despair, joy, love.
She chuckled to herself every time she heard someone mentioning
Something about love. Not so long ago, the concept of love was almost
foreign to her. Hell, her few attempts at starting relationships ended
in unmitigated disasters. She had come to the conclusion that she would
never feel true love, and she accepted that. Then she was posted to
Babylon 5, and all that began to change. For better or worse, it began
To change.
I think I loved Talia, she reflected. She confessed this to Delenn
in the Minbari Rebirth ceremony just after the station broke away from
Earth. Before she was posted to Babylon 5, and even for some time
afterward, the thought of having anything at all to do with a telepath
completely was completely ludicrous. She despised telepaths in general
and Psi Corps in particular after what happened to her mother. Yet in
the end, there she was, admitting her love for a telepath. Only Delenn
knew, of course; that was part of the ceremony. But what about Marcus?
The months since the end of the civil war gave Ivanova time to
recollect, to think, to wonder. Only when she awoke in Medlab to find
Marcus Cole slumped next to her dead from using the Alien Healing
Device to drain his own life force to save her did she realize how much
she meant to him, and she had given him nothing but grief in return
for everything he had ever done for her. She and Marcus were more alike
than she'd ever admit, even to herself. They had the same mannerisms,
the same wit, even the same worldview, and their personalities were so
similar they often clashed. Only in the end did she realize what true
love was.
She decided she had enough musing for the moment. There would be
time for that; there always was when the work was all said and done.
She glanced at the tall, dark-skinned form of Commander Claudia
LaSalle, her first officer, standing next to Ensign Carter at the
tactical console. Carter had just graduated from Earthforce Academy
this year and this was his first assignment. He seemed to have the
makings of a good officer, but he did lack certain instincts which
distinguishes a true field officer from a paper-pushing desk jockey in
EarthDome. Those instincts would come with experience, though, given
time. Except if what her orders said were true, the whole thing about
experience would be academic if their mission were to end in failure.
"Commander," she said, "what's the status of the Missouri?"
"She's still with us, Captain," LaSalle replied. "Captain Lind
reported no operational problems."
"How soon before we reach the jumpgate?"
"On our present course we will jump to normal space in twenty
minutes, eighteen seconds."
She looked at the starboard aft display next to the view screen
showing an image of the battleship Missouri, one of only three
Sovereign-class battleships ever built by Earthforce, and the only
surviving ship of its class. The other two, the Arizona and the Iowa
went down in the Battle of the Line. The Missouri was decommissioned
after the Earth-Minbari War but was later brought out of mothballs,
refitted with the latest weapons and sensor systems, and returned to
active service. She's still a fine ship even after all these years,
Ivanova thought to herself. It was said serving on the Missouri was one
of the highest honors an Earthforce member could ever hope to achieve,
even above the various service awards and the promotions. Stretching
more than twice the length of the Griffin's 425 meters, the Missouri
was the largest ship in Earthforce with a crew of over 1,200, including
pilots and deck crews for four Starfury squadrons and three Thunderbolt
squadrons. Commanded by the Ice Woman, Captain Emily Lind, the Missouri
stood proud as the flagship of the Earth Alliance.
Ivanova recalled her orders: meet the battleship Missouri and
travel to Babylon 5 to meet with the frigate Perry. Once there she
would meet the Perry's captain for a briefing concerning something
about the return of the Angels. The very thought of them returning
brought her to a state of near alarm. The Angels were responsible for
the Second Impact and they helped in causing the Third Impact. In her
studies of those events back in her Academy days she learned the Angels
were quite powerful; the only way to defeat them was to use the
Evangelion units. In this day and age, Ivanova had to assume they still
were.
Not only that, she couldn't really bring herself to trust Nerv
any more than the Angels. She almost regarded Nerv with the same trust
as she did Psi Corps. She had heard about all the experiments Nerv
performed to discover the secrets of the Angels and how to fight them,
and the fact they used children to pilot the Evangelion units
themselves. Still, most of Nerv's military personnel still wore
Earthforce blue; they were Earthforce Special Operations officers. The
Perry's captain, Commander Rei Ayanami-Miranami, was one such officer.
Ivanova looked up her service record after receiving her orders to see
who she was going to be dealing with. The interesting thing was she
entered Earthforce at Nerv's insistence. Why would Nerv use the
tremendous influence it commanded on behalf of this one individual?
What was she to them? Still, Rei's record gave Ivanova the impression
she would be dealing with a very intelligent and resourceful officer.
She was a private person, the record showed, living alone most of
her life after entering Earthforce Academy. She tended to keep her
distance from everyone around her, until she became the Perry's
captain. Ivanova suspected there was quite a bit more to Rei Ayanami-
Miranami than the service record showed.
"Concerns, Captain?" LaSalle asked.
Ivanova didn't realize her first officer had left Carter's station
until she saw her standing next to the command chair, a look of
curiosity on her face. She let out a small sigh. Evading the question
wouldn't work around LaSalle, she was far too intelligent to be fooled.
"Just one," Ivanova admitted. "Have you ever met Commander
Ayanami-Miranami?"
LaSalle shook her head. "No, I confess I haven't. Special Ops
people under Nerv don't usually mix with other Earthforce officers.
Something to do with security concerns, I heard. It must be serious if
Nerv's authorizing it now."
"Probably. Of all the surprises I could've received today, I was
certainly not expecting or welcoming the Angels returning."
"Agreed. And if the Angels are anything like what the Eva pilots
faced 250 years ago, this could mean a Fourth Impact, which wouldn't
confine itself to Earth if certain religious groups are to be
believed."
Ivanova grunted. "Fourth Impact. Scarcely bears thinking about.
Maybe we should all hold hands and sing 'Kumbaya' while we still can."
LaSalle merely shrugged.
"We've made many of the same mistakes now as we did before Third
Impact," Ivanova continued. "They say the Impact marked the beginning
of a new age in the evolution of mankind. So far, I've yet to see it."
"Maybe that's why the Angels are returning, Captain," LaSalle
mused.
"Possible."
"What about the uproar this is causing back home? I hear Nerv and
Earthforce are having a real knock-down drag out over Earthforce taking
charge of the Angel situation on President Luchenko's orders."
"Whatever for?" Ivanova wanted to know. "Nerv can't possibly think
they can handle the Angels alone this time. If they do, I'll add
delusional and stupid to the list of wonderful adjectives I routinely
use to describe them."
"I would point out Nerv has acquired most of the data on the
Angels the first time they appeared."
"That was over 200 years ago. That data is probably antiquated by
now. If we've supposedly evolved, shouldn't it stand to reason the
Angels have, too?"
"Perhaps, Captain," LaSalle admitted.
"And Nerv doesn't strike me as a very trustworthy group, either. I
can't really put my finger on it. There's something about them which
make me uneasy."
"I think I can say Nerv makes us all uneasy, Captain," LaSalle
replied. "There are just too many unknowns in dealing with them. In
that way they're no different than the Angels."
"'Who watches the watchmen?'" Ivanova quoted.
They are coming. They who are of the six by three are coming. You
must leave this place. Leave before they arrive. The one who is half is
already here.
Those thoughts came back to Danielle's mind as she lay on the
medlab bed. The last thought gave her pause, though. The one who is
half is already here. What the hell did that mean? Surely it couldn't
mean the Nerv clone's here on the station. Or could it? She had made it
a personal crusade to find out all she could about Nerv after the
incident at Proxima-3 which forced her to leave Earthforce. She had
learned about Nerv's attempts at cloning after Second Impact. They had
spliced human DNA with an Angel, namely Lillith. Three clones were
known to have been successfully created, all virtually identical, all
named Rei. After Nerv was reestablished in 2203, it hardly surprised
her that Nerv would attempt this form of cloning again. After all as
the old saying went: "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed
to one day repeat it." This time, though, Nerv extracted DNA from the
remains of the Rei/Lillith merge which was destroyed in the Third
Impact. As a result only one stable clone was created in 2226. The
others were either malformed, psychotic, or both.
Why would they use that? Danielle often wondered after finding
that little bit of information out earlier this year. Probably the same
rationale which motivated Seele to use dummy plugs ingrained with
Kaworu's personality in the mass-production Evas. Danielle had used her
ship's computer and over three dozen relay stations, including unwitting
listening posts and jumpgates, located throughout the Earth
Alliance to obtain that and other information from Nerv from the most
logical source possible: Melchior, the last surviving Magi
supercomputer. The machine may have been over 200 years old, but it was
still more powerful than most computer systems used in Earthforce
today.
The six by three are coming.
Since Proxima-3, Danielle knew what Kaworu had meant by the phrase
"six by three." He obviously meant the Angels; between the Impacts a
total of eighteen Angels appeared. Six by three equaled eighteen; it
was flawlessly logical. So why didn't they believe me? Why don't they
believe me now? Can't they see what is plain as their own hands? Didn't
G'Qeth say our struggles would begin with Angels? Didn't he also say we
would pay for those struggles with our own blood, the blood on the
hands of the Angels? What must I do to convince them, G'Qeth? How can I
make them see what I see before the Angels destroy us all?
G'Qeth declined to respond, possibly being on a break. I do have
to get away, but first I must find the one who is half. Maybe she will
believe me. I must find her, as soon as possible. But did she know why
she had to find her? What was so important about the one who is half
which made it seem so urgent to see her? How did she know the one who
is half is female? Danielle didn't know; all she knew was that she had
to see her, and quickly. She knew she had to leave before they came.
The six by three are coming.
Wait a damn minute! Danielle's more rational side screamed at her.
What the hell are you thinking? You can't leave here. Not when you know
they're coming? You wanted to find the Angels and avenge what they did
to your ancestor 250 years ago. Even now the Angels are trying to
influence you; they have ever since Proxima-3, even more so now that
you found the Evangelion. Don't you see? They want you to leave
Babylon 5 because you can stop them.
But they don't believe me. They never believe me, the irrational
side protested.
Let them believe what they will. It's what you believe that
counts.
I'm afraid. Always with Angels will our struggles begin.
Don't be. I will be here. I have always been here.
Danielle rose out of the bed, her decision set. She would find the
one who is half. She had to find her, whoever she was. She glanced
quickly around to make sure neither Franklin nor any of his staff was
nearby. She found her clothes in a nearby locker along with her
backpack. Rushing to open it she found nothing was missing, even her
Book of G'Qeth. She dressed quickly and quietly snuck out of medlab.
She located a transport tube nearby and she stepped inside.
"Destination?" the computer queried.
"Red Five."
She got off on Red-5 and made her way into the Zocalo, which was
its usual bustle of activity. Humans, Drazi, Centauri, Narns and others
milled about buying and selling various goods. Carefully avoiding the
prying eyes of station security Danielle made her way to an unoccupied
terminal and activated it.
"Command?"
"Computer, list any Earthforce military ships which have arrived
on Babylon 5 in the last twenty-four hours."
"Security authorization required."
"Authorization Nerv-2-1-8-9-Alpha-8." I'm going to be throwing red
flags all over Security Central if this doesn't work.
A few moments passed, then the computer replied, "Authorization
confirmed. One Earthforce vessel has arrived within specified time
parameters."
"Which vessel?"
"Earthforce Special Operations Frigate Perry. Commander Rei
Ayanami-Miranami commanding. Vessel arrived at 0835 Earth Standard
Time, July 30, 2262."
Rei Ayanami-Miranami, Danielle thought. She must be the one.
"Computer, is Commander Ayanami-Miranami on the station?"
"Affirmative."
"Specify location."
"Commander Ayanami-Miranami is located in the Blue-3 conference
room."
"Does she have assigned quarters on-station?"
"Affirmative. Blue-5, Suite 16."
She looked around and noticed two security officers lurking nearby
in the crowd. She closed down the terminal and slipped out into a Red
Sector corridor. Rei Ayanami-Miranami, I think it's time you and I had
a little chat.
End Part 4A
Comments can be directed via private e-mail to mcanime@swbell.net.
Constructive comments are welcome and will be read. Non-constructive
Flames will be used for PPG target practice.
--
-Mark
Eternally Lost Member of Oklahoma Megazone / Babylon 5 Fan / Follower of
Ivanova's Recommendations / Friend of the People / Enemy of the State /
In the Memory of the Nine and the One / "I have always been here."