On Centauri Prime, Renegade White Star 13 lands and Neroon and Marcus emerge, along with the stowaway Dureena Nafeel.  Immediately they launch into battle against the Drakh forces who have swarmed up from their hiding places like ants from an anthill.  Neroon and Marcus, no slouches at hand to hand combat, are stunned by the display Dureena puts on-- she draws a sword they'd not even known she had, and sets into the Drakh hordes, energy blazing around the blade and lashing out to cut down the enemy in her path.  "Where did she get that?" Neroon asks.  Marcus only shakes his head.  

In the skies above, wave upon wave of Centauri Vorchan ships, along with a smaller number of very dangerous Drakh fighters, swarm over the Coalition Fleet, blasting away.  Drazi Sunhawks and Brakiri cruisers absorb terrible damage, many exploding or flaring with internal flames and then cooling to drifting hulks.  The Centauri ships absorb a tremendous amount of damage themselves, but their numbers seem greater and their coordination nearly perfect.  The Coalition is holding its own, but for how long?  G'Kar, watching the battle unfold from his office on Babylon 5, knows they cannot hold out much longer.  "What could have happened to Gideon?" he whispers to himself.  

Below, the Renegade Rangers led by Marcus and Neroon have fought their way onto the Centauri palace grounds.  After initial resistance by Centauri guards, the Centauri have fallen back or switched sides, a move confirmed by orders just issued from Londo in the palace.  Still, the hordes of Drakh have dug in and are fighting ferociously.  Into the fray steps Dureena, flaming sword blazing in her hand.  A dervish, she races forward, sweeping all from her path.  The Drakh, seized with fear and bewilderment, fall back, into the palace itself, hissing a strange name in fearful tones as they retreat:  "Avelar!  Avelar returns!"

Above, the blackness of space sparkles with swirling colors and flares of lightning as a jump point opens-- and out races the Excalibur, engines glowing orange but still somehow intact.  

A cheer goes up among the crews of the Coalition Fleet, but immediately the Centauri ships and automated defenses turn and focus much of their firepower on the newly arriving ship.

"Mr. Matheson," Gideon growls, "target the Drakh ships as best you can.  Hold off on the Centauris."  He turns to the communications officer.  "Set the external transmitters to broad range, and send the codes I just entered into the computer."  

The communications officer brings up the codes, studies them momentarily, frowning, then breaks into a big smile and nods.  "Aye, sir!"

Matheson looks back at Gideon questioningly, but Gideon only gestures at the viewscreen.  "Wait and see."

"Sir," one of the tactical officers shouts, "the Centauri drones-- they've powered down!"  He looks over his readouts.  "And the Vorchans have ceased firing!"

Gideon smiles a tight smile, nodding once.  "Excellent.  Mr. Matheson--  if you would--?" 

Matheson returns the tight smile.  "Aye aye, Captain."  He turns to the gunners.  "Target the Drakh ships with all weapons.  The captain would like them out of his sky."

Excalibur rains fire upon the Drakh fleet, sweeping them into full retreat.  Rallying, the Renegade White Stars and the rest of the Coalition Fleet hit them hard.  The battle is brief and decisive.

*  *  *

On Centauri Prime, Marcus and Neroon have led their forces to the very gates of the palace itself.  At that moment, a small silver sphere flies up to Marcus and hovers before him.  It emits a ringing, bell-like tone, and then Galen's voice resounds in the air:  "The security complex," he says.  "Now!"

"What is it?"  Marcus asks.

Galen's voice is as tense as Marcus has ever heard it.  "The fusion bombs!"

Marcus passes this on to Neroon, and they rally their forces to attack the security complex just adjacent to the palace, throwing everything they have at it.  The Drakh resistance there seems, if anything, even fiercer.

The battle before the doors to the security complex is brief but bloody, with Dureena cutting down the last of the defenders.  As Marcus and Neroon rush forward, Galen rushes up from behind and shoves past them, smashing open the doors with his staff and racing inside.

Marcus, Neroon and Dureena chase after him down the darkened halls, to finally find him in the midst of a vast, computer-filled room.  He has shoved his staff into the midst of the computer banks, and cables and wires have spun up around him and the staff.  Small bolts of electricity dance from every surface, and Galen's eyes, very wide, seem very far away.

"Stay back," he intones flatly.  "I am overriding the global computer network and ordering it to blanket the entire planet's surface with a signal which should-- should-- prevent the bombs from exploding.  For now."

Marcus and Neroon exchange nervous glances.

"I am also ordering the bombs themselves to emit a signal on the main Ranger frequency." Galen gasps for breath, then, "Find them!"

Marcus and Neroon rush from the chamber, issuing orders as they go.

*  *  *

Some two hours later, aboard Excalibur, Gideon sits back in the command chair, relaxing for the first time in what seems to him like days.  

"Thanks for the update, Ambassador Vir.  We're very glad to hear you have diffused all the bombs."

Vir nods.  "And we very much appreciate your help, Captain.  The Emperor will be quite busy for some time to come, cleaning up the damage from this battle, but know that you and your crew are always welcome here on Centauri Prime.  We won't forget what you have done."

"Much appreciated."

Vir pauses, then says, "The Emperor has also expressed some... curiosity... about how you managed to deactivate the Centauri planetary defenses, the drone ships, and so forth."  He smiled his awkward smile.  "We will, of course, be changing all the codes immediately..."

"Of course," Gideon replied.

"...But..." Vir continued, expectantly.

"...And in the interests of planetary good will and all that, I assume we can leave matters there.  Yes, Mr. Ambassador?"

Vir purses his lips, hesitates a moment, then nods.  "Yes, I believe we can leave them there, Captain.  Thank you, once again, for your assistance."

Gideon nods.  "Excalibur out."

Vir's face disappears from the viewscreen, and Gideon turns to his executive officer.  "Nice work, Mr. Matheson.  Pass on my compliments to the entire crew."

"Thank you, sir," Matheson replies.  He hesitates, then asks, "Sir, those codes..."

Gideon shrugs.  "A lucky guess?"

Matheson eyes him dubiously.

"Won 'em in a poker game?"

Matheson shakes his head once.

"Well..."  Gideon strokes his chin.  He thinks of the Apocalypse Box's words, after it gave him the Centauri override codes:  "A price for such knowledge, later."  "There always is," Gideon had replied, not wanting to really contemplate just what the cost might be, at the time.  Or who might be affected by it.  With that in mind, he gives Matheson a tired smile.  "One day, you'll know all about it, John.  One day."

Matheson considers this, then nods.  "Of course, sir.  Understood."  But Matheson feels he already understands, all too well.

A few minutes later, Marcus and Neroon step from the lift onto the command deck, Dureena along with them.  Pleasantries are exchanged, and questions asked and answered, when suddenly in strides Galen, looking as worried as ever.  

"What's wrong?" Gideon asks.  "We've scored a major victory today, and saved the whole planet."

"Have we?  Are you so sure?"  Galen casts his eyes about, looking at the 3-D tactical display.  "Have you accounted for all the Drakh ships?  Are they all destroyed?"

Gideon and Matheson exchange curious looks.  "Not precisely, no," Gideon replies, "but if any come back, I'm confident we'll be ready for them."

"Will you now?"   Galen resumes pacing about the command deck, clearly disturbed by something.

Moments later, alerts sound across the command deck.  Everyone rushes to the tactical display to see what's happening.

Matheson listens to his headset a moment, then reports, "Drakh ships have just jumped in from hyperspace."

"Where?" Galen demands, before Gideon himself can ask.

Matheson points to a row of red lights that have just appeared within the display, moving rapidly toward Centauri Prime.

"The Centauri defenses are still offline," Galen observes angrilly.

Gideon studies the ship deployments.  "No problem.  We have ships nearby.  White Star Division Four looks to be closest," he observes.

Neroon nods.  "Mr. Matheson, please inform Division Four that they are to intercept."

Matheson nods and turns away, relaying the orders to the White Stars.

Galen peers at the display and growls, "Not soon enough.  It's not going to be soon enough!  We need the Centauri defenses back on line!"

Everyone else looks at him, frowning.  "Not soon enough for what?" Gideon asks.  "Are they bombers or--"

"Sir," Matheson interrupts.  "The Drakh ships have entered the planetary atmosphere and are--"  He pauses.  "They are releasing something into the air."

Galen slumps forward, leaning against the base of the display.  He groans.

"What is it?" Gideon demands.  "What are they doing?"

"As I feared."  Galen points to the globe of Centauri Prime in the display.  "What they cannot have, they will despoil."

"You mean--?"

"A plague.  A virus.  A deadly disease that will spare no one.  It is their way.  I should have anticipated it sooner, been better prepared."  He smashes a fist down into the console.  

"You can't be serious," Gideon whispers.  "Not after everything we've just been through."

"It will take some amount of time to adapt to their particular biology," Galen continued.  "And then, every man, woman, and child on Centauri Prime... will die."

The command deck grows silent.  Everyone exchanges looks of shock and horror.

Gideon thinks back to the Apocalypse Box's final words of warning, when it had provided him with the Centauri defense codes.  "Beware of sickness... from the sky..."  

It had known.  Once again, the Box had known.  Somehow, Gideon isn't the least bit surprised.

Annotations for "The Liberation of Centauri Prime."

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DarkCrusade is the Crusade Alternate Universe story--
the complete, five-year Crusade saga, following one slight change in 2261, "the year everything changed."
Story, design, and layout by Van Allen Plexico. Send correspondence and comments to vplexico@bellsouth.net
Babylon 5 and Crusade created by J. Michael Straczynski and property of Warner Communications.