THE TORRENTS OF WAR, PART I

April 14, 2260

            A shocked silence swept through the Earth Alliance Ship Chimera as news of the bombings on Mars rippled through the crew. Most didn't know what to make of it, in utter disbelief that their own government could resort to launching missiles at civilian targets. While recent events had given them reason to be apprehensive of President Clark and his agenda, nothing could have prepared them for this.
           Up on the bridge, Captain Adam Reid sat in his command chair, his mood very solemn as he kept going over and over the latest news in his mind, very much distracted. He had friends of Mars, and right now didn't know if they were dead, or alive. Current orders also prevented hm from breaking radio silence, having recently finished a high-profile mission for Earth. There had also been no word as of yet from General Hague, and that worried him.
           Red got up out of his chair finally, smoothing out his uniform and running a hand quickly through his greying, brown hair. He was about to go get a cup of coffee, when his first officer burst onto the bridge.
           "Sir," started Commander Jon Marczek, slightly younger than him, his short blond hair showing no signs of grey whatsoever.
           "Captain Sheridan of Babylon Five is making an important announcement!" he exclaimed, running to the communications station and temporarily relieving the officer there.
           Reid looked to his first officer. "Let's hear it." 
           Marczek worked the controls, and patched into the channel carrying the announcement. Within seconds, John Sheridan's image was on the bridge screens.
           "....As commanding officer and military governor of Babylon 5, I cannot allow this to happen. President Clark has violated the Earth Alliance Constitution by dissolving the Senate, declaring martial law, and personally ordering the bombing of civilian targets on the Mars colony. 
          He is personally responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. Following these attacks Orion VII and Proxima III have broken away from the Earth Alliance, and declared independence. Babylon 5 now joins with them! As of this moment, Babylon 5 is seceding from the Earth Alliance! We will remain an independent state until President Clark is removed from office."
          "Off." said Reid, as the feed from Babylon 5 switched off on the monitors. No one spoke on the bridge, crew members again shocked at another revelation. The seriousness of the overall situation had now sunk in, with Captain Reid now having to make some difficult decisions before proceeding any further. All eyes on the bridge now turned to him, the crew waiting to see how their leader would react to what had just happened.

           Lieutenant William McIntyre couldn't believe what he had just seen on the gear room's monitor. Hearing about the Mars bombings was bad enough, but now events had progressed so badly that Babylon 5 had just declared independence from the Earth Alliance, setting itself up as an independent state for the time being.
           Everyone from the squadron was with him in the gear room, having met there to go over the news from Mars, and ready their equipment should they be called on to launch because of the current crisis.
           "I had heard there were some problems on Earth before we left for that mission, but this takes the cake." said McIntyre, shaking his head.
           "What does this all mean?" asked second in command Lewis Sewell, a dark skinned man who was usually quite jovial, except for today.
           McIntyre shrugged. "Not sure. All I know is that the Captain is probably going to call a staff meeting soon to discuss recent events. Until then, we stay combat ready."
           Two other members of the squadron, Jack Whitmear and Ray Park, nodded their acknowledgement, but said nothing. The final member of the team, Sarah Atkinson, wandered over to Will, looking visibly distraught. Sarah was not only a member of the Birds of Prey, but also his wife, who he loved deeply.
           "Hey." he said softly, putting an arm around her. "Everything is going to be okay. The Captain will know what to do."
           Sarah smiled slightly, but felt uneasy. "I hope so. This is all terrible news." 
           Will held her close for a moment, before stroking her long, red ponytail. Suddenly, the captain's voice came over the ship's comm system, with everyone in the gear room giving their full attention as the address started.
           "May I have your attention, please. In the last twelve hours, we have been made aware of extrodinary events unfolding around us. As you already have heard, civilian targets on Mars have been bombed by our government, and cerain colonies and space stations, among which is Babylon Five, have broken away from the Earh Alliance in protest of President Clark's actions.
          As the Captain of the Chimera, I am responsible for all of you who serve under my command, and I cannot in good faith support a government that has killed innocent people, and tried to curtail the freedoms and liberties that I hold dear. I have therefore decided that this ship will not report back to Earth, and that we will join up with anyone that is resisting President Clark. 
          I will need everyone at their stations for the time being. Reid out."

          Reid was again in his command chair, sipping a cup of coffee as his first officer looked on from behind the railing.
          "I don't like it, Jon." he started. "No new orders from Earth, and still no word from General Hague. I have a bad feeling about all of this."
          Commander Marczek raised an eyebrow, but didn't move from the railing. "Makes no sense. We should have at least heard from Hague."
          Reid nodded. "Indeed."
          Taking another sip of his coffee, the captain looked around the bridge, watching his disciplined crew go about their routine as if it was another normal day. He felt a great deal of pride in this, having had this crew for quite some time, of the opinion they were the best in the whole Earth Alliance. Reid wasn't so much worried about their loyalty as he was their state of mind, the recent happenings not anything close to status quo.
          "Maybe they forgot about us." said Marzcek, referring to EarthDome, the headquarters for the Earth Alliance, and place where all the orders were issued to the military.
          Reid's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Not likely. As a special operations division of the Earth Alliance, we should be near the top of their list." he replied.
          Marzcek only nodded briefly before hurrying to his station, working the controls to see if he could come across any information that might be important. Personally, he hated not being able to do anything or contact anyone, as doing so would likely endanger their status. Just as he started to think about the situation, the comm officer spoke up from the other side of the bridge.
          "Sir, I'm receiving a coded transmission from EarthDome regarding our orders." said the female officer, her eyes locked on the screen in front of her.
          "What does it say?" asked the captain.
          "We have been ordered to join the task force headed by the Agrippa. They are on their way to Babylon Five to take command of the station."
           Reid frowned for a moment, and pondered his orders. 'John and his people might be the key at getting through all of this.' he thought to himself. 'President Clark is violating the Earth Alliance constitution by pitting us against one another.'
           "Lieutenant, maintain radio silence." he said to the young woman. "Commander Marzcek, get us out of here. We need to get out of the spotlight for a little while, and figure out what we're going to do about all of this." said the captain.
            His first officer looked confused all of a sudden. "We're not going to assist Babylon Five?" he asked, hoping to help in some way.
            "Commander," started Reid. "If we go to the aid of the station, Clark will send more than one task force. No, we need to somehow get in touch with General Hague, and find out what his plan is. We can't afford to make snap decisions just yet."
           The first officer nodded, and manned his station, before issuing some orders to the helm. The Chimera got underway as quickly as possible, and headed to the nearest jump gate.

            It had been a long couple of hours, McIntyre having spent them talking with his squadron, letting every member relay their opinions on current events. The result was positive, with all five of them reaffirming support for their captain and the stand he had taken. News of open civil war had been intercepted a short time ago, with the situation becoming very dangerous and very real in a hurry.
            McIntyre had ended the meeting after the consensus, and reminded his squadron to get some sack time and stay rested should they be pressed into action. Possibly going up against their own forces and countrymen wasn't exactly what they had been trained for, but would soon become a necessary evil should the President's forces catch up with the Chimera.
            Surpresssing a yawn, McIntyre walked the last few steps to his quarters, and activated the door, stepping inside and removing his jacket. As the door slid closed, he caught Sarah out the corner of his eye sitting on the bed at the far end. They had finally gotten shared quarters, and normally couldn't be happier. Tonight however, Sarah had a frown on her face, her long red hair loose behind her, wearing a bathrobe over her night attire.
            McIntrye hung up his jacket and sat down next to her, putting an arm around her.
           "Sarah, what's wrong?" he asked of her.
           She rested her head on his shoulder, and cuddled up to him. "I'm scared, Will. The whole prospect of fighting our own people.....it's scary."
            Will pulled her a little closer, and kissed her on the forehead. "Hey now. Let's not worry too much about this. We have to stay strong, especially now, okay?"
            Sarah nodded slightly. "Okay." she said softly.
            Will smiled a little, and held onto her, knowing this was a tough time for all concerned. For all he knew, they could be in combat whenever they came back out of hyperspace, if someone wasn't already looking for them. If this were to happen, he and his squadron, including Sarah, would be in their Starfuries doing their part. The possibility of them getting killed during this conflict was high, and because of that, Will shared some of the emotions being felt by his wife, terrified at the prospect of losing her out there.
            'If I have to sacrifice myself for her, I will.' he thought to himself, willing to do anything for her, even if it meant his own demise.
            "Let's get some sleep, darling." he whispered to her, as she slightly nodded her acknowledgement. Sarah slid under the covers, as Will took off his slacks and tossed them onto the nearby wing chair before joining his love in bed. She snuggled up to him, as he pulled her close to embrace her. 
            "I love you." he said to her, softly.
            "I love you too." she whispered back, kissing him on the cheek.
            So many different things raced through his mind in this moment of peace, most of which involved his squadron mates, and his captain during this time of upheaval. Realizing that sleep was more important at this point, he pulled the covers up a little as he embraced his wife.
             "Computer, lights." he said aloud, before his quarters were suddenly enveloped in darkness, the pitch black of night having fallen.

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