A Call to Arms (22 page)

“Every man, woman, and child on Earth will be dead. Unless they can find a cure.” Garibaldi said, “If the plague was created by Shadow technology centuries ahead of our own, how are they gonna solve it in five years?”

“They can’t,” Sheridan said flatly. He stood up. “But since this thing came to us from outside, then maybe we can find a cure for it out there. We know there were other races as old as the Shadows. One of them must have found a cure. We’ll find them. We have to.”

Outside the port, Sheridan could see helmeted men working on Babylon 5’s hull. Several White Stars were moving in to dock.

He said, “I’ve told President Luchenko that we’ll put all the resources of the Alliance, and the White Star fleet, at their disposal. We’ll turn the
Excalibur
into a traveling research vessel, manned by the best crew we can find. The Rangers will search every corner of space, looking for clues to a cure. Then the
Excalibur
and her crew will go in to follow it up.” He paused a moment, then said, “Legend said that one day the real
Excalibur
would return in our greatest hour of need. I guess this is it.”

“What about the rest of the new fleet you were building?”

“The Drakh hit the construction dock on their way out,” Sheridan told her. “Years of work, wiped out in a second. We’ll start over, but it’ll take time. Until then, the
Excalibur
is the only one of her kind.”

As Sheridan was talking, outside, a curious-looking black ship emerged from a jumpgate. Unlike most spaceships, it had large wings and a stabilizer. It was evidently designed for atmosphere as well as vacuum.

Sheridan said, “Those who command the
Excalibur
will never stop, never give up, and never slow down until a cure is found.”

The curious-looking ship docked at a B5 entry port. A cloaked man emerged and entered the station. At Babylon 5 customs, Dureena was hanging around, following a presentiment she didn’t really believe but had found impossible to ignore. It had held her here for hours. And now she saw why.

Galen came walking through the customs barrier.

Sheridan was saying, “And we’ll take any help we can get, wherever--and whoever--it comes from.”

“I was hoping to see you,” Dureena said to Galen. “In fact, I expected you. I just didn’t know what I was expecting.”

“We never do,” Galen said, with a smile.

“Does this mean the techno-mages are working on our side?” she wanted to know.

“Let’s just say
I’m
working on your side,” Galen said. “That will have to suffice for the moment.”

“So where to now?”

Galen considered for a moment and smiled. “Have you ever been to Mars?”

“No,” Dureena said. “Where is it?”

“Nearest the heart of the fire,” he said, and began walking. She hurried to follow, sure somehow that she would be doing this for quite some time to come.

In Lochley’s office, Sheridan said, “This is a cause that surpasses borders and differences. This is a mission about the survival of Earth itself. What we do over the next five years, here, at home, and across the darkness between the stars, will determine whether an entire world will live, or die. It’s a fight we can’t afford to lose. And we won’t. We won’t.”